Fox's Past
by Leafy Lincoln
Summary: Years have passed since Naruto left Konoha for the safety of his important people but when he is tossed into the time where his parents still live they come searching for him. The Kyuubi has been released and Akatsuki is causing chaos. Closed temporarily.
1. Chapter 1

_A bloodcurdling scream tore through the night signaling the death of the innocent and the death for those yet to come._

_The clouds parted revealing a monstrous figure crouching over a limp body. With claws black as coal, a whine colored coat, and teeth white as snow though tainted with blood, it was a monster people would fear. Nine tails were swishing all around it almost lazily. A fox was what most would call it, though most have never seen one that was twice the size of a human. _

_It seemed to be smiling upon the pain and agony it inflicted on others. Looking around, it searched for more prey with its bloodlust eyes._

_Finding none, it lifted up its muzzle searching, wanting, desiring and craving more pain. The hills of carcasses weren't enough to satisfy its desires. The wind shifted and with it came the scent that seemed to be familiar, yet strange at the same time. This put the beast out of his bloodlust state and into a minor second._

_Sniffing in the scent once more the creature memorized and tracked it right to the source. It seemed to be an exclusive aroma that took its breath away. Without a second thought it took off with at an incredible speed._

_Weaving through the forest with ease it followed it nose towards its goal. The scent seemed to completely rule the beast's mind, being its number-one priority. It only took a few moments to find the scent, which wasn't that long in the fox's point of view, and it was exactly what the fox had been hoping for._

_Stopping short, the fox concealed himself behind a massive number of trees, and looked on to the scene before him. A few yards ahead him where a group of no more than eight in a small clearing. Sensing high chakra levels coming from the group, it circled around, watching. Knowing he had only moments before one of them noticed his demonic chakra, he launched himself across the clearing. It roared its triumph and landed on the unexpecting victims. They stood motionless in shock and fear as he slashed his claws across their torsos, causing them to have as much pain as possible. He looked upon them with amusement of their mild struggles and their feeble lives. Killing the first five fairly easy, the fox disposed of them without another thought then moved to the next. _

_t didn't bother to look at their features it was to intent on the killing, though one managed to get its attention. It was one of the weakest with purplish black hair and pale eyes, female, and something about her made the fox stop to consider her. In the middle of slashing through a pink haired one, and snapping the tallest one's spine between its teeth it looked at her face. Nothing moved, all it heard for a few abrupt moments was the ragged breaths from the silver haired man in his jaws. Blood dripped from the monsters mouth, its flavor appetizing. Pausing it looked at the weaker one and saw that she seemed stricken with a grief of some kind. The she whispered one word, only one word._

"_Naruto"_

_Snapping back to his murderous state he dropped the two before him and lunged at the girl, catching her between his paws. She cried out once in agony as his claws met her skin._

_He could see the pain clear in her eyes and couldn't help himself any longer, he lifted up one claw and was about to land the death blow when he saw that her face was leaking water. He had a moment of hesitation which was gone the moment it appeared. Slowly he lowered his maw to her throat, preparing to devourer her, his mouth watering-_

Naruto sprang upward in his bed suddenly from the frightful and vicious dream he had just experienced.

"What the…?!" He was breathing heavily. Looking around he saw that he was in his own room in his apartment. He looked over at his clock on the table next to the bed and seeing the time he dashed up and yelled, "Fuck, I'm going to be late!" He ran to the bathroom, took a quick shower, changed into his abnormally bright jumpsuit and started running toward the training grounds, the terrible dream left behind.

When he finally reached the training grounds he saw that sensei hadn't arrived yet, for which he was thankful. He slowed to a walk when his teammates came into view.

"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN NARUTO!!!!" Sakura yelled when she spotted him. Naruto looked up, and before he could even blink he had his head slammed to the ground. Sitting up he spat out a mouth full of dirt, rubbing the now- sore bump on his head. Looking above him he beheld Sakura and all her fury. Sasuke watched the whole scene in silence with a smirk on his face.

_What the hell is she so mad about? _He thought ruefully. Her pink hair spiking down as it always did, green eyes blazing with annoyance at the late ninja before her. Temper flashing, making her forehead abnormally larger than usual, she yelled, "Why do have to be so late every session!"

Regaining his nerve he muttered, "Maybe I'm not too late, but you're too early." Thinking, or rather hoping that she was too caught up with her anger to hear him. Unfortunately luck was not on his side, because she doubled up.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!"

"Nothing!"

It seemed to be like she was about to say something else, but Kakashi-sensei came into view, book in hand.

"Yo." He stated while still reading his book."Sorry I'm late I was ambushed by some kids with ALOT of cherry bombs." He said flatly. They looked at him and shook their heads.

"Can you get on with it?" Sasuke asked in a superior tone as if he thought this was beneath him. Naruto looked at the raven haired boy that was his rival/friend and had the sudden urge to punch him. This wasn't the first time either.

"You guys have the day off." He stated and when he looked up he found that Sakura and Sasuke were already walking away. Naruto was sitting beneath the tree. He heard him mutter, "Schedule for the day: 1) Take a nap. 2) Find Obaa-Chan. 3) Force her to buy me some ramen. Perrrfect…." And in saying so, he dropped into a deep sleep.

_How does he do that. He can just go to sleep like that?...It's beyond me. Oh, Well…_He set off towards the Hokage's tower. Jumping to the window, he leaped through and waited until the fifth noticed him.

"I see you got the message." She said to him without looking up from her paperwork. Half the table was stacked with papers for her to go through. She sighed.

"Yes" was all she got in reply.

"Then you know what to do." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"Of course." With that he set himself to jump out, but hesitated and added with one of his one-eyed smiles. "Your better hide your wallet." In saying so, he launched himself out of the room. She sighed once he was gone. She knew what that meant.

"Where to hide it?" she glanced around the room and spotted and old sake bottle. She grinned._ It's so simple that even he wouldn't look there._ She walked over to the bottle, put the wallet in and placed it between two think books.

As soon as she had sat back in her chair, a flash of yellow burst into the room.

"Obaa-Chan!" Naruto yelled in excitement. "It's your turn to buy ramen!" He was practically bouncing on his feet.

"Sorry Naruto, it seems that I misplaced my wallet." She said with fake innocence. He gave her a practical look and flashed his foxy grin.

"No worries, I got it right here!" He said while pulling her wallet out of thin air. She gaped at him and looked towards the books and saw that it was untouched.

"How…I-I thought…I thought that I put it over…..WHAT THE HELL!" She practically screamed. He just looked at her with the picture of perfect innocence. She didn't buy it one bit. "What did you do?" She asked.

"Nothing, I just found it on the floor and thought somebody would want it back." He told her, with eyes that said _I am a good little boy, why would you doubt me?_ She totally didn't believe this little act at all.

She sighed. "I can't, I have paper work." She told him flatly and saw his grin grow and turn into a mischievous smile.

"Not a problem." He told her. "We'll just do it my way." And in saying so, he brought out a match and threw it into the piles of paper. As soon as the match touched the papers, they went aflame.

Startled she yelped and went to the other side of the room where Naruto stood watching the table and papers go into flames. "You could get the whole tower on fire!" She yelled at him. He gave her a smile and a look that clearly said,_ That would be so COOL!_

"I'll handle it." He walked to the bright flames and gave it a hard kick out the window. She heard a splash and knew that it had landed in a fountain somewhere outside. She looked at him, only to find him smiling back at her. "You are done with your paperwork now! Let's GO!" He grabbed her hand and started hauling her toward the door, passing Shizune along the way. "Hey Shizune, me and Obaa-Chan are going to get some ramen. We'll be back soon."

"Order another desk, will you?" Tsunade asked. She looked rather pale in the face, which was featured in total shock.

Shizune could only nod and watch as they left. Once outside Naruto led at a quick pace toward Teuchi-san's ramen stand with Tsunade following grudgingly.

"Jeez Naruto what's with you and ramen?" Asked Tsunade. Naruto only shrugged his shoulders and continued on his way. Once they reached the shop Naruto seemed like he going to explode with happiness.

They ducked under the white and red banner and took a seat on the stools. "Two bowls of ramen, PLEASE!" Naruto practically yelled. They both heard a small chuckle, even as the stand's owner came out to greet them.

"How's my best customer doing today?"

"Fine, I brought Obaa-Chan!" He stated, motioning to the unhappy 5th before them. "I helped her finish the rest of her paperwork! It was a blast!" Tsunade looked at him with narrowed eyed and muttered,

"Literally." She looked pissed and anyone could see that she wanted to punch something. Especially the boy next to her. Naruto took no notice of this fact.

"Oh, come on Obaa-Chan! Now's the time for ramen!" He said gesturing the man in front of them. Teuchi looked between them carefully. _What could Naruto do to piss Gondaime so much, it's probably some little prank or something…._He thought to himself. He went to the back of the shop and prepared the blonde's favorite dish.

"Here you go." He smiled kindly at the boy's eager face. As soon as the bowl was set down, Naruto set to work devouring it. Tsunade just stared on as Naruto finished his first bowl in 5 seconds and started his second, still keeping his vigorous pace. She sighed. _This is going to be a long day _She thought, holding the wallet she had tried to hide.

"So…How much are you going to eat Naruto?" She asked the boy

"As much as I can." He replied though no one could understand, since he had ramen stuffed in his mouth; it sounded more like, "Ez Muk ez e kn."

"The limit is five today." She told him.

'Awww!" He moaned. "That sucks. I wonder if I can have Ero-senin get me some afterwards."

"Someone call my name?" They both turned around and there was a man that looked over the age of 60, and had long white hair. It was the one and only, Jiraiya.

"Ero-senin!" Naruto yelled as he saw his sensei. "You're just in time. It's your turn to buy ramen!" Tsunade grinned, she knew Jiraiya feared paying for Naruto as much as she did. So, just to piss him off she said, "Yeah, it is your turn." He looked at her and she smiled in response.

"Uh,…I…I left my money at the hotel I was staying in." He stated trying to get out of paying.

"So you'll be staying here for a few days?" She asked. There was no way he was going to get out paying for Naruto.

"Then you can buy some ramen for us tomorrow!" Naruto yelled. There were times when she loved Naruto's knack for getting people to pay for him. You couldn't say 'No' to Naruto, not if you don't want cherry bombs in your socks.

"But-I-…But…" He stated feebly.

"Then it's settled!" Naruto said, not letting him answer. He sighed and she stifled a small chuckle. After Naruto ate four more bowls, they paid for their meal and set off toward the tower. "Ero-senin. Why did you come anyway?" Naruto asked. She was a little curious herself.

"I have some news about the Rice Country." He stated.

"I wanna know!" Naruto insisted.

"Nope. Sorry kid. You're going to have to go. I need to speak with Tsunade." He told the over excited blonde.

"Oh, COME ON! PLEASE!" The blonde begged. They had arrived at the tower and the two Sanin stopped. Tsunade looked at the sun, only to see it setting. _We've been gone for quite some time._

"Naruto if you don't go, I'll never get you some ramen again." Tsunade told him. That was all it took to get Naruto to go. Threaten him, he will just blow it off as a joke. Threaten him with ramen, you just arrived in fuck-ville.

"Bye!" They watched him run off toward his apartment.

"I wonder if he has noticed yet?" Jiraiya asked no one in particular.

"Noticed what?" Tsunade replied, her curiosity showing.

"The seal."

"What about it" She asked suspiciously. The pervert next to her looked serious.

"That the seal is weakening. Soon it will be gone and the fox might roam the earth again." He sighed, "I wonder if his own will, will keep it locked up, or will it overwhelm him. You can never be sure with Naruto."

"Only time will tell for sure." Jiraiya didn't respond. They walked for a while in silence each in their own thoughts. Both including a blonde super-active ninja. Looking toward the heads of the past Hokage's, Tsunade wondered if they ever had to deal with this kind of stress. Her eyes lingered on the face of the 4th Hokage. _I hope your looking over him, because he needs all the help he can get._ "So What is this news about the Rice Country?" She asked the Toad Sage.

"They're angry at us because we killed about 200 of their ninjas." He stated flatly.

"What! That was like 15 years ago!" She practically yelled at him. She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Seems like they hold a long grudge." The Sage told her. "They have announced that they want revenge. Apparently we haven't been punished for our 'slaughter' that day."

"They attacked us! They would think twice if I could just punch their precious leader once!" She was in a fury. She did not want a war while she was Hokage and she was going to do anything to stop, even if it meant punching some idiot. "We have to start planning at once!"

"Not necessarily." Jiraiya said to a pissed of Tsunade.

"Wha-Why not?" She asked angrily.

"They haven't told the public that they're going to war. This is just a predicament. They first have to set things into place to make sure that if they do go to war, then they have a sure victory." He explained to the angry blonde next to him.

"That is…" She was about the finish the sentence when a thought popped in her head. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. That is exactly what she would do in their place. She took no notice of Jiraiya and continued into the tower.

"What are you doing?" Jiraiya asked as she walked passed him. She didn't answer. "Fine. Don't tell me." He said bluntly.

"Yeah, whatever." She murmured. She heard him mutter something about people not thanking him properly and what not. She heard the poof as he disappeared. She didn't care, she was thinking about what had to be done in these circumstances.

Naruto sat in his room thinking about what news Jiraiya could have heard._ I wonder if it's about someone dying or better, being murdered. _He thought these very unlikely. _Or it could just be about women like it usually is. No, if that was it then I would have heard him being slammed into a wall or something._

"What could it be?" He murmured to himself. _If there's going to be a mission for it, I am so going to be there. If Obaa-Chan won't let me, then I will just show her the video of her dancing like an idiot with Jiraiya. Hehe good memories._

Well this turned out to be an excellent day, beside the fact that his head aches from Sakura's punch. _Damn she can hit pretty hard! He _rubbed his head, making him grimace.

Glancing at the window he saw that night had come so he decided to get ready for bed. Getting into bed he remembered the dream from last night, he shivered involuntarily. Other than that unwanted dream, he felt that things were finally looking up. Nothing could possibly go wrong. Closing his eyes he sighed comfortably and was on the brim to unconsciousness when an all too familiar voice spoke out.

**Hey MeatBag! How's it going BUDDY! **A deep voice seemed to be chuckling in the center of his mind.

"Crap."


	2. Chapter 2

"**Crap"**

**That's no way to treat your friend for life! **The Kyuubi seemed to be amused with his own personal humor.

"Friend!" Naruto snarled with barely contained anger. "I vaguely remember you bursting out of me, taking control, and destroying almost half of the Konoha!"

**That was in the past! You know how we role. It's like a friend punching you and you punch back harder, and in the end it all turns into a fist fight. **The demon chuckled some more.

"Well, what do you know, its Konoha's very own comedian. Kyuubi no Kitsune!" Naruto practically yelled. Opening his eyes, he appeared, standing in the all too familiar cage which held the giant beast.

**Is that how you treat your friends? I am one of the closest hu- I mean beings to you and this is how you greet me?!** He said in a mocking expression of shock. **And you know that you LOVE my jokes! Come on, admit it!**

"If I will, would you leave me alone forever?" He asked, hoping that the answer was YES.

**Probably not.** The demon replied with the barest hint of regret.

"Well then, you probably know my answer." Naruto told him.

**In fact, I don't know. Please enlighten me with you brilliance Oh Smart One. **The Kyuubi resumed chuckling at his jokes.

"Shut up!" Naruto growled as he began to become really annoyed. _The stupid fox doesn't_ _realize that his is the most annoying thing in the world right now!_ He thought. But to Naruto's surprise, the fox had gone silent. _That's more like it. _He thought. Returning back to reality her smiled while lying down in his bed. As the seconds ticked by, he realized that he wasn't tired anymore. "Damn that stupid fox and his rambling." He growled.

**I love how much you get me, it's like were the same person. **He chuckled as he realized that that particular fact wasn't a full lie.

"We are nothing alike." Naruto said in a flat voice.

**Oh well, whatever you say. Too bad I have to shut up, I have some really exciting news.** The Kyuubi said in a low tone.

"I don't want to hear what you have to say." He replied.

**Whatever you say kit. It was some juicy piece of information. **The demon waited and let the bait sit there for awhile. He knew the kid couldn't resist secrets, he had been in his mind for about 13 years.

"Damn it all! Okay what is this 'exciting' news?" Naruto asked when he couldn't take the silence any longer.

**Well, I don't know if I should tell you. You didn't seem this eager before. **The demon said in an amused voice, he could tell that this was really pissing of the human; so of course he had to do it.

"COME ON! THIS IS TOTALLY NOT FAIR!" Naruto yelled at the demon. He was not in the best of moods.

**What's with all this chatter? When I wanted to have a chat, you didn't. But when you feel like talking, all of a sudden I have to too. You think a little too much of yourself, I might not feel like talking right now.** Actually, the fox did like chatting (with intelligent people anyway) but this teasing was kinda fun and he did enjoy seeing the annoyed face on the boy. He chuckled very loudly.

"I am totally giving you the biggest nuggie in the world!" Naruto exclaimed. He knew he would have fun doing that.

**I am in your mind you dumbass! You can't touch me! **The beast knew he couldn't touch him, but still respected the MeathBag for his stupid courage. **If you try to get into my cage, I can tear you to shreds. You can take off the seal and give it to me while I'm out, but I'm pretty sure you're not stupid enough to try it.**

"You think I wouldn't do it?" Naruto asked casually. He walked up to the seal on the door and placed his hand lightly on it. The fox eyed him and soon realized what he was doing.

**Do it! Do it and I'll let you give me a hundred nuggies! HAHA! **He started to yell at the boy to encourage him. He thought the boy wouldn't be so stupid, but he has been wrong about it before. **Pull me out of this trash of a place you call a mind!**

"It's not that trashy," He replied looking around the sewer-like place. "Is it?" He shrugged and made a mental note: _Clean up the dump of a mind. _The Kyuubi watched as he continued to rip off the seal, and it began to rip, thread by thread. Just as it began to make the tinniest of rips, Naruto stopped and grinned at the giant fox. "Tomorrow."

**What do you mean tomorrow?!** The Kyuubi said confused.

"I can't unseal you on an empty stomach." Was all he said and turned away to leave.

**You ate five bowls of ramen an hour ago! HOW THE FUCKING HELL COULD YOU BE STARVING! I DON'T GET IT! **The Kyuubi snarled. He was so close to being free only to have it taken away by the idiot boy's rumbling stomach.

Naruto shrugged absentmindedly. "You can never say no to a tummy rumbling for ramen. What it wants, the tummy shall get."All he got for a reply for was a ferocious snarl. He turned around to look at the frantic demon in front of him. Without a hint of fear he continued on. "And why is the reason that you suddenly wanted to talk to me, and I know that it's not because were best of buddies." He looked at the fox as if expecting an answer.

The fox shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, he still hadn't planned how he would tell the kid this, but someone had to.

Taking a deep breath he started, **Look kid you need to know tha-**

"Know what?" Naruto asked suspiciously.

**Listen, cause I'm only explaining this once th-**

"Explaining what?"

**First liste-**

"What are you talking about?!"

**FOR FUCKS SAKE! SHUT UP! I'LL TELL YOU IN ONE FRICKEN MOMENT**! The Kyuubi yelled heatedly at the over-talkative blonde in front of him. **Jeez first let me talk then you may ask questions. Got it?**

Naruto opened his mouth to object but stopped the flow of questions that was about to escape out of his mouth, but the demon quieted him.

**I swear to god that if you open that trap of a mouth, I will rip off your head, eat it, throw it back up, tear it up, and eat it again.**

"Ew." Was all the fox got in reply.

**As I was saying before I got rudely interrupted.** At these words he looked pointedly at Naruto and made sure he wasn't going to interrupt. **Well…….how can I put this? **While saying this, his nine tails swayed nervously, his eyes darting left to right, nose twitching every few second. Naruto noted all this with interest. _What crawled up him and died? _**Our ASSES are dead if we don't get out of this crappy village of yours.**

"It's not crappy!" Naruto exclaimed, then finally realized what the Kyuubi was saying. "What do you mean 'leave'?"

**I'm sorry, did I offend you? I meant to say, if we don't get out of this 'SHITY'town, we're dead. You understand?** The beast was talking to him as if he were a three-year old. Needless to say, it pissed Naruto off.

"Then tell what the HELL is so bad that I have to leave the town for?!" Naruto told him back.

**They're here.** He replied simply.

"Who are 'they'?"

**Them. **

"Well that's not an answer!" Naruto cried.

**Yes it is.**

"No it's not!"

**Yes, actually it is.**

"No, it's fricken not!"

**Fine. It's not.**

"Yes. Oh. Wait, NO!" Naruto yelled in exasperation. Kyuubi chuckled; it was so easy to manipulate the kid. He stopped laughing and went back to business.

**Now that we have that cleared up. We have to get going.** His statement got a reaction from the kid.

"Going! I'm not going!" Naruto said stubbornly.

**Oh, yes you are. **The beast replied with edge.

"I'm not leaving! Also, you can't trick me this time because I'm not going to say anything." He snapped back.

**You have to go! NOW! **The Kyuubi yelled.

Silence.

**You can't do that forever you know.**

Silence.

**Your going to get really bored soon.**

Silence.

**This doesn't bug me at all.**

Silence.

**Talk to me you son of a bitch! **The fox was showing real signs of being pissed off.

Silence.

**That's it! You are going now! Don't make come out of this cage! **

Silence.

**If you don't go, you might as well be sending your friends to their deaths. **He was going to make the kid talk one way or another.

"What!" Naruto yelled.

**Ha! You talked!**

He just dismissed the statement with a wave of his hand. "What do you mean my friends are in danger?!"

**What I'm saying is that they're screwed if 'they' come and attack Konoha.**

"I see." He said, thinking.

**Do you really?** He wasn't very sure that the kid knew what this meant.

"Yes" Replied a straight face Naruto.

**Fine then. If you get it so much then start packing.**

"But I don't wanna go." Naruto said in a small and kid-like voice.

**You have to. They've sensed it. **The fox told him calmly.

"Well then…wait what did you mean 'sense'?" He asked suspiciously.

**I mean that they sensed it weakening. **He replied.

"What's weakening?" Naruto asked.

**The se-** The Kyuubi stopped himself short. _Damn! Almost let it slip! _**Nothing. Absolutely nothing.**

"It isn't nothing! I heard you, you said something about a 'se'. What does 'se' stand for?" The boy seemed to think carefully about this and the fox could really see the wheels turning in the kids mind. First the first time he didn't try to interrogate or harass the fox for some answers. Naruto opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again. Finally he spoke. "It's the seal, isn't it." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

**Yes. You figured it out pretty quickly than I would expect of someone with your IQ to accomplish such a great feat. **The Kyuubi was shocked and impressed that he got it that quickly, but he wasn't going to let the kid know.

" So, then what's going on with the seal?" The boy asked. He seemed quite interested. Which was a first.

**If you really want to know. I guess it concerns you. **The fox know if he should tell the kid or not. But he did anyway. **It seems that the seal that has held me in this hell of a cage is now wearing down, or deteriorating as I call it, as we speak.**

The kid took this a bit too rationally because he screamed. "WHAT DO MEAN IT'S WEARING UP!" His yell was so loud that the fox took a step back in his cage, wincing as the sound reached his sensitive ears.

**Mother-**

"Why didn't you tell me earlier!"

**Because I didn't think it was deteriorating this fast! **He yelled back just as furious. **I predicted that it would take months, at least, to break. But it seems that it's not the way it seems because it's deteriorating much faster than I expected. It was a miscalculation on my part. **The fox hated to admit that he was wrong no matter how small or big, especially to the kid. **Again, it was a miscalculation on my part. **

"So…you were wrong." Naruto said, a small smile forming on his lips.

**No, I just happen to state an answer that wasn't all the way true. **The fox said defensively.

"In other words, you were wrong." Naruto couldn't stop the smile from getting bigger. He momentarily forgot about his troubles, but in seeing the pissed fox face he remembered the problem. He took a deep breath. 'Do I really have to go?" Naruto asked.

**Yes, that's what I have been trying to say! **The fox was glad he was finally reaching the boy.

"Will I see then again? Anyone?" Naruto looked at the fox for an answer. He saw the answer plain in the fox's eyes.

**Even I, with all my power, don't know what the future holds.** The fox was surprised to see the kids eyes were leaking, he felt kinda bad for the kid. _Damn him! He's making me a softy!_

"Okay, let's go." Naruto said while going into action. He stuffed some blankets and clothes into is backpack, which he found lying on the floor.

**Kid. **The fox said while he was filling his backpack full of clothes.

"What! I'm going as fast as I can!" Naruto yelled.

**You can't take those clothes with you. **He said simply.

"What? Why not." He asked.

**They'll recognize you immediately. Heck, I think your bright jumpsuit is known to everyone in the world. **The Kyuubi took one look at his outfit and chuckled. **I'm also pretty sure you could see that thing from space. **He joked.

"Yeah. Yeah. Then what am I suppose to wear?" Naruto asked. _It better not be something gay, or I swear I'll kill him._

**Relax, we'll find something on the way there. Just take the clothes on your back and some supplies. **The fox was getting tired of his questions.

"On the way where?" Naruto asked, curious.

**For once, will you just shut up and follow my directions! **Naruto could see that the fox was getting annoyed so he shut his mouth and did what he was told. **Finally, some peace.**

Naruto spent five more minutes gathering all he needed for the journey. Once finished, he swung his backpack over his shoulder and set off toward the North Gate. He walked slowly along the streets as old memories flash through his mind. He sighed. _I'm sure going to miss Konoha. I wonder if I'll ever see it again._ He sighed again, until a thought came into mind.

"How am I going to train and get stronger?"

**I'll take care of that. **The beast said.

"How?" Naruto asked.

**I have my ways. **The fox said simply.

"What ways?" Naruto's curiosity was now aroused.

But the Naruto gave no response to his question. Naruto sighed in defeat. _Getting answers from him is so hard._

Getting through the gate was simpler. He just told the guards he was going to train in the forest when they asked. Once past the gate and guards he turned around and faces his village one more time.

"I will return someday. I promise. And I never go back on a promise." With saying that, Naruto turned and walked into the night, seeming to be consumed by darkness.

~Next Morning~

Tsunade was in her office, sitting at her new desk thinking about what Jiraiya had said last night. _The seal is breaking. I wonder if Naruto has noticed yet. Is there a way to secure it? _Her mind was racing to find some possibilities.

"This is one bitch of a problem." She murmured to herself. Closing her eyes she set her head in her hands. "Oh, crap. What the hell am I going to do? None of the other Hokage's had to deal with this shit every day." She continued to mumble to herself, and think of a conclusion. This is where Shizune found her.

"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune yelled as she came in.

"What is it?" Tsunade responded without even looking up, she was too deep in her thoughts to notice the hurried panic in Shizune's voice.

"It's Naruto! He's gone!" Shizune yelled, trying to get a reaction.

She got one.

"What!"Tsunade yelled, she couldn't do anything to a person who wasn't here.

"No one has seen him since yesterday and he apparently didn't show up for training today." Shizune, Tsunade could see, was trying to calm herself down. _She cares for the kid. Naruto missing training, that's serious. That kid won't stop bugging Jiraiya to train him more._

"No one has seen him since yesterday, you say?" She asked.

"Yes." Was all she got in reply.

"Does Kakashi have any idea?" The Hokage asked.

"You sent him on that mission, remember. He just got back this morning. He went to the training grounds and found the other students there, but not Naruto. They went looking for him, but couldn't find him." Shizune replied.

"Oh shit. He must be somewhere in the village." He had to be somewhere, he couldn't have got up and left for no reason. He couldn't have disappeared with all the ninja in the village, and a sannin. "Did you check his usual spots?"

"Yes. Even his apartment, but we still can't find him anywhere. But…" she hesitated.

Tsunade took that as a bad sign. "But…But what! What's wrong!" She demanded.

"When we searched his apartment we found that all his belongings weren't there. Nothing. It's like he was never there." She finished in a confused tone.

"Nothing..." Tsunade felt a chill run down her spine.


	3. Chapter 3

"Where the hell are we going and can we slow down a notch?" Wined a tired Naruto. He had been walking for at least 12 hours. They had been traveling since they stopped to get Naruto some new gear.

He was now wearing a plain gray sleeveless shirt with an orange collared zip-up vest covering it; there was the original red swirl on the back of it that most ninja wore. Black flames consumed the bottom edge of the bright vest. Though it was nowhere in sight, his headband was safely tucked in a secret pocket inside his vest. He had Granny's priceless blue necklace around his neck shining in the light. He wore long black pants with multiple pockets on each side, and a piece of cloth wrapped around his right thigh. Each pocket had a specific object in it that would come in handy eventually. Such as kunai, exploding tags, sealing and summoning scrolls, and ramen.

The Kyuubi sighed; it had been like this for the whole trip. He wasn't sure how long he could take it. **You'll know it when you see it.**

"Really? We're in the desert away from all civilization. The only village close by is the Sand Vi-" Naruto suddenly stopped in his tracks; he stood there motionless for minutes.

**Kid? You okay? Am I going to have to slap you awake?** No answer. The kid just stood the frozen on the spot like a statue. He was beginning to get scared and wary; the kid couldn't keep this still without some little twitch. **Blond-**

Suddenly there was an explosion of sound that made the Kyuubi's ears bleed from the inside out. "WE'RE GOING TO SEE GAARA!!!"

Naruto jumped in the air with such excitement that he seemed to be floating for more than a minute. One moment before he was still as a rock, then in a blink of an eye he was jumping up and down like a maniac. "Yeah! I can't wait! Can we go faster?!"

The fox was baffled at how the kid could have so much enthusiasm and energy at the smallest of things. **Yeah. Yeah. We're going to your precious Sand ninja's village. It's the only place where you've been and are welcome back. Besides I felt a spike of chakra earlier from here, then it suddenly disappeared. I think it may have something to do with your friend and the demon inside him.**

"We're going to see Gaara!" Naruto took no notice of the importance of the fox's words. He was just excited to have some company that was human and who understood him. Picking up his pace, he set off toward the direction of the village. The fox noticed this and yelled at him to slow down.

**We can't just barge right into the Kazekage's office! Jeez! If you were Hokage and someone just appeared in your office claiming to be your friend what would you do?**

**"**Oh. I see your point." Naruto murmured as he slowed to a steady walk. "Then how are we going to get to him?"

**First we're going to have to sneak in the village. Past the guards. Find the Kazekage's tower. Get on his roof. **

"Then what?" Naruto asked.

**We sit there. **Was his reply.

"Sit there." Naruto said flatly.

**That's it.**

"That's it?"

**Yes.**

"Really?"

**What did you expect? We run in there everyone in our way? Blowing everything up? Rush into the tower, go up to Gaara and say 'We have to talk to you! 'KNEEL BEFORE MY MIGHT!'? Is that what you had in mind? If so, your more stupid than I thought.**

"Shut up dog breath." Was all Naruto said and sank into a silence.

It wasn't until a few hours later when Naruto saw the shape of the Sand Village. It walls were near around the same size of Konoha's, which is higher than 40 feet. He would get a better view once he was on top to see all of it at. Then he would find his way to Gaara's chamber on the way there.

It was around eleven at night and most of the village was sleeping. Naruto sunk into a crouch as he neared the walls surrounding the town. He could just see the guards above, walking in rounds. Creeping closer to the walls he started climbing his way up with more stealth than the fox expected. The fox observed with some interest that the kid had put some chakra in both hands and feet. What impressed him more was that he hadn't fallen on his head yet.

**I didn't know you were so stealthy. I'm impressed. Haha. **For some reason the fox thought that was kinda funny. He could just picture the kid falling down on his head as he usually did. He chuckled once more until he realized that the kid had stopped. They were only about half way up the wall. **What's going on?**

"There's someone above us." Naruto had barely moved his lips to respond. Even as he said it there was suddenly a shadow covering them. Looking up he saw a guard gazing out toward the desert. _If he so much as glances down we're dead. _The moment the thought touched his mind the figure above moved off toward the other section of the wall. Sighing with relief he continued to climb.

His head popped up over the wall and took in the scene before him. There were two guards on either side of wall, their backs facing each other. He grinned to himself and quickly flipped onto the path and dashed toward cover. Right as he was consumed in the shadows the guards turned, only to see nothing.

From his point of view he could see the whole village. There were many buildings, big and small housing people. Few buildings were taller than the rest, most likely to be guard towers. In the midst of it all was a circular structure, and Naruto knew for a fact that Gaara would be found there. He set off toward the center of the village.

…………………………………………………..

Gaara woke suddenly only to see nothing. Looking around he instantly realized he was in his office. He must of dozed off. Fumbling for the light switch he came across something furry. He froze suddenly alert, he relaxed as he heard a soft snore. The small raccoon was curled around the lamp and sleeping soundly.

Its fur was a light brown with blackish blue markings all over its body. Its black mask covered its closed eyes, making it seem like there was no eyes there at all.

Shifting its position it stretched and laid its head on its paws right next to Gaara's hand. Gaara stroked it softly on the head, making it nuzzle his hand in return.

Gaara's mouth twitched a fraction of an inch betraying his impassive expression. _Who said that demons couldn't have a soft spot._

"Did you feel it?" He asked quietly, no more than a whisper. No one would expect the creature to answer, and they wouldn't expect the Sand Village's Kazekage to talk to one in the first place.

**"Of course." **The answer was short and simple. As soon as it was out in the air, the raccoon drifted into a deep sleep, its tail twitching. That was the only sign that it would be alert if it needed to be..

Gaara continued to stare at the animal for a while longer, then looked out the window at the night sky. He figured he wouldn't get anymore sleep so he decided he was going out for a little stroll. Glancing at the still sleeping raccoon he snorted. _That little lazy ass. He wouldn't get up even if it was for his life. To think that I thought he was more powerful than me._ He sighed. Getting out of his chair he lifted his gourd full of sand and walked out of the room.

Right as he left the raccoon lifted up his head and stared at the now empty chair. Smiling inwardly he stood and slowly walked toward the space and leapt onto the space. Circling twice he settled himself into a comfortable position and closed his eyes.

Opening one eye he gazed at the window looking for a familiar figure. Smirking he drifted off into unconsciousness.

**"I hope they won't be too loud this time."**

…………………………………………………..

Naruto quietly and swiftly walked down the road. Each step bringing him closer to the one person who he needed to talk to the most. Making sure he made no sound he jumped onto a roof and continued on to the next one. _I wonder what I'll tell Gaara. Actually, I don't even know myself. That is a problem I guess. I'll have to ask the Kyuubi before we meet up with him. Stupid fox and his secrets._ Just as he finished thinking, he realized that the Kyuubi was yelling for him to stop.

"Why?" Naruto asked.

**You passed it! Don't you ever pay attention! It's like talking to a rock! Look behind you and you'll see the problem! **The Kyuubi sounded pretty pissed to Naruto.

Looking back, Naruto could see that the fox was right. He had passed the building long ago. "So I have." Naruto said calmly and had the pleasure of feeling the fox's anger increase. Heading back, he made sure he jumped on the Kazakage's roof and sat down on a ledge.

"So Kyuubi, what are we going to tell Gaara in the first place? 'Umm, I ran away from my village and need your help with this plan of the fox's that might destroy the whole world.' Not exactly a cheery subject." Naruto asked calmly, even though he was all excited to see Gaara.

**Well first things first, you might want to tell him that your village might sent ninja after you. I think that he would want to know that. The other thing is that the seal is weakening and that it might prove to be the same thing with him and Shukaku. So we may have to see and find out. **He paused absorbed with his thoughts. Suddenly he heard a loud 'SLURP'. Startled he was about to notify the kid when he realized that it wasn't a threat. Entirely. **What the FUCK are you doing?!**

**"**What!" Naruto said with a mouth full of ramen. Trying to hide the bowl, he shoved it in his vest, but the damage was done.

**Your eating! At an important plan like this! To top it all off , it's while I'm talking! Why the hell are you eating?! **He screamed at the blonde.

Naruto looked kinda sheepish. "Well you didn't let me eat when we left so I kinda…well…yeah." To emphasize what he said his stomach gave a loud growl.

**Where the Hell did you get that ramen?! Better question: How the hell could you make it?! We're in the middle of another village, on a cold roof, nowhere near home.** The fox was pissed that he wasn't getting much respect from the kid, but he was also confused about how the kid could make it.

"I have my ways." Naruto said with a slight grin, but told nothing else. He pulled out the ramen and began slurping/eating, which to the fox was the loudest and most annoying sound in the world.

**You really have to learn some manners. You could at least not shove everything down your throat at once.** The fox told him in a disgusted tone.

"I sure wish I had some lead. Maybe I could shove it up your butt. That would be one improvement to your attitude." Naruto the comment the fox tried to wait patiently as he could, which fox could hardly do with Naruto's grumbling and slurping. Finally, Naruto finished his ramen and sighed.

"That was good." Naruto said with a grin.

**Watching you eat and devour that defenseless bowl of ramen was less that good. It was disgusting. **The Kyuubi replied.

"You're just mad you didn't get any." Naruto said with a smirk.

The giant fox just sighed.

"I want some more. But sadly," Naruto said ruefully. "that was my last one."

**I want to shove my fist up your ass. That's what I want. **The fox was not in a good mood.

"You don't have a fist though." Naruo stated.

**No I have claws. They're much more convenient, that fits. **The fox chuckled at the thought.

"Either if you have fists or not, you can't hurt remember, you're in my mind; as you have said multiple times." Naruto crossed his arms behind his head and laughed while the fox snarled his complaints.

Changing the subject abruptly he asked. "When are we going to make ourselves known?"

"Right now." Said an even and quiet voice from the right. Glancing up, he saw a silhouette of a figure. "What are you doing here, Naruto?" he asked barely more than a whisper.

**DAMN! He is quiet! Where the hell did he come from! I'm getting to old for this shit! **The fox said.

Naruto's face gave no trace of emotion except his eyes that shone in the night with a certain spark to them. With a slight smile on his lips as he addressed the Sand's Village Kazekage, he gave no sign of respect. "Gaara! How are ya buddy! Haven't seen you in a while."

Sighing Gaara decided not to take notice of the improper greeting, which was just how Naruto was. He would never acknowledge anyone, nor would he ever have to. It was the many qualities of him that made you want to cuff him on the head, but it was also one of the great things about him. He didn't care who you were or were you're from. He treated you with the same politeness that he gave everyone, which wasn't much.

"So… may I ask what you are doing here?" Gaara asked simply.

"That is an interesting question." Naruto murmured.

All he got in reply was a stare that revealed no emotion.

"Well……long story. Ummmm…I kinda left Konoha and…" Naruto said. He foxy grin told Gaara that he had no idea what was going on. As always.

**No wonder no one asks you for explaining things. You suck at it. **The fox criticized.

"You left Konoha." It wasn't a question.

"Actually, I sort of ran away." Naruto replied while rubbing the back of his head. "Well, the fox said that Akatsuki was coming and that everyone was in danger if I stayed any longer. So I left."

"I see." Gaara replied after a few moments of an awkward silence on Naruto's part. "So you are here too….."

"Try to find a place I can hide and chill out in?" He finished the sentence right after it came out of Gaara's lips. "Well, that was my plan anyway. I'm not so sure what the fox's plans are."

"Then why don't you ask?" Gaara asked as if Naruto was a five year old. Well, that's how it seemed like to Naruto; you could never be sure with Gaara.

"Because……." Naruto was about to snap back with a great comeback only to realize that he had none. "I didn't think of that."

"Then ask now." It wasn't a command, but it was a suggestion.

That was what Naruto liked about Gaara. He didn't command you to do things like some high ranked leaders did. He also wasn't smug when he proved something wrong. _Actually, if you think about it, he never shows any emotion at all. Least of all smug._

**He is Kazekage after all. I guess. **The fox replied.

"So what are you plans in this anyway?" Naruto asked.

"You do know that you don't have to talk out loud." Gaara told him.

"I just started this talking with the fox two days ago. Give me a break. Jeez." Let it be known that Naruto complained. A nod was all he got in reply. "So anyway, what's going on?"

**Well, as you know Akatsuki is trying to capture you and take me out of you, and in the process kill you. **

"Duh. I think everyone knows that." Naruto muttered.

**The first reason I don't want them to capture is because I don't want to be used by some fucked up wanna-be villains. They capture the demons and store us in a statue. Like that's evil. They can and will summon us at any time that's convenient for them. As I have said before, I don't like being used.** The fox explained.

"That makes sense." Naruto muttered while nodding his head. Gaara just waited patiently off to the side.

**Secondly, us demons all in one place. Yeah… Not a very great idea if you ask me. I mean that we get along pretty well with each other, but are chakras don't cope well. It would lead to…well a catastrophic breakdown. I'm talking earthquakes, tsunamis, and tornadoes and all that shit. Don't think you want that. Though just thinking about it makes my tails quiver. **He finished with a deep sigh that expressed that he was in some tough shit.

_That's gotta suck. So what are your plans? You told me that I had to leave my home and all my friends, so you better have a good reason. If you don't, I swear I will kill you, in my mind or not._ Naruto finally realized what he had done and wanted a good reason to back up his actions. Nor did he realize that he had stopped talking out loud too the fox. It came naturally now.

**My plan is too travel. **The fox replied.

"Travel? Now you lost me." Naruto had a confused look on his face. Gaara, completely forgotten, stand behind him trying to interpret the blonde's stranger expressions. Silently.

**Let me phrase that differently. My plan is for you to travel.**

"Why?" Naruto said forgetting that he didn't have to speak out loud.

**I need to gather some information about Akatsuki and the other demons in this trashy world. To go out and start walking around in my original form is out of the question. Besides, if you go I'll teach you some powerful techniques. I know how much you like to 'kick ass'. **The fox explained.

Naruto was silent for a few moments; staring straight forward. The fox had the impression that he was deep in thought, but that was near impossible. It was hard to interpret his expression and everyone one of these worthless humans looked the same to the fox, so who the fuck cared. Not the fox.

**So…** He ventured on. ** Are you in or out little MeatBag. It pains me to say this, but it's all your choice. Go back, you die. Travel with me, you may actual turn into something worth saving.**

"Okay." Naruto turned to Gaara. "You got everything? I'm pretty sure the fox won't say anything twice. It's below him or something."

All he received was silence and a stare. Naruto paid no attention. He was looking at Gaara with an expectant look in his eyes.

"Can I chill out here for a while?" Naruto asked with a grin.

Still, all he received was a hard stare and the silent treatment. This only made Naruto's grin widen.

"Don't say anything if your answer's a 'yes'." Naruto told him.

Gaara just turned around and walked away. Grinning madly, Naruto walked two steps behind. He figured that this day would get much more interesting.

"I can't wait to see Temari's and Kankuro's faces. You didn't tell anyone that it was me did you?" No answer.

Grinning widely he said smugly. "You didn't know it was me did you?"

No answer. Laughing quietly he followed on silently. _This will be quite fun._

**For once, I totally agree with you Mini MeatBag.** The fox started laughing madly. For once the Kyuubi No Kitsune was on the same side as Naruto Uzumaki.


	4. Chapter 4

"How can you stand to wear this everyday?" Complained Naruto. Gaara was sitting in his usual sit in his office listening to the non-stop complaints. Shukaku was at his usual place, on Gaara's gourd, sleeping in the middle of the day. Naruto, of course being the person he is, was sitting on the desk. Most people would give more respect; Naruto isn't most people. "How do you get anything done?"

Naruto had traded his bright vest for a faded white collared cloak. Though Naruto's had the original red swirls on his right shoulder, but it was designed different to looks like a fox curled with its nine tails swirling all across his back.

Gaara had one exactly like it, but his was a brownish gray with dull red symbols representing the sand demon that was **once** inside of him. The whole thing hugged his entire figure to make him look more or less muscular than usual. His headband was around his neck with the Sand Village's symbol, always visible. Naruto had to admit the it made him look more intimidating, and that was what impressed him most. Most people wouldn't have pulled it off.

Anyway, back to the coat. It was thick as hell, and he wondered how anyone could survive in the heat with a coat like this. Not to mention that it was heavier than anything he had worn. He imagined what kind of person would make this kind of coat, he concluded that the person was a total nutcase. Gaara said it was suppose to help him survive in the desert; he was probably a total nut-case too.

Everything else was the same even though he had around a dozen kunai stocked into his cloak and a canteen of water strapped around his waste. He felt like ripping the whole thing off, but Gaara would probable kill him. He wouldn't be surprised if he did it right then. He had more self control than Naruto thought, that would have to change.

"Well…When we stop complaining, we actually try to deal with what we are given." Gaara replied, showing the same amount of emotion than he ever did, which wasn't much to begin with.

"What the hell if that supposed to mean!" Naruto asked. Gaara was always talking in useless riddles. It gets tiring after a while. (He doesn't talk in riddles…I just wanted to say riddles..)

"Okay, if you really want to know. I could send another squad on the mission you were going to get. They might do it with less complaining than you."

Naruto shut his mouth immediately, but opened it up to say something. Gaara cut him off.

"If you go, you will have to stop whining like a five year old. Now if you can do that, you will be going with Temari and her team. We got notice of a few rouges roaming in the area. I want you and her team to deal with it. Don't kill anyone and no fighting unless it's absolutely necessary. Now, any questions?"

**That was the longest sentence I have ever heard him say. You do realize he said no fighting right? That take the fun out of everything!** The Kyuubi grumbled. He liked violence. A lot.

_You got that right._ Naruto agreed. He had learned to speak with the fox in his mind rather quickly. So quickly that every conversation took less than half a minute, so no one would know what's going on inside his head.

Continuing on, the Kyuubi said, **He hasn't let you fight much. I think he's trying to 'protect' us or something. Wuss.** Like Naruto he never bothered with respecting others. For one thing, he wasn't human and he just didn't care.

Naruto mentally sighed._ At least he lets us go on missions. By the way, when are we going to start our little' journey' ?_

**First we need provisions, you also have to study maps on every place we're going to go to, and I need to get you into shape. **He replied, slowly thinking out each word before saying it out loud. From a quick glimpse in his mind, Naruto found that the fox had most of this planned out. He had only one objection.

_Wait. I'm already in shape._

**Not be my standards. You still as weak as a butterfly. **The Kyuubi laughed at his joke/insult.

_A pretty damn strong butterfly. _Naruto muttered. Instead of hearing the fox laugh his head off at his joke, he tuned back into reality and turned his head towards Gaara.

"Yeah, I got a question. Who's on TemTem's team?"

Gaara just stared at him for a while then sighed. "Don't you know their names yet? They go on every mission with you. How could you not know them.

"Really?" Naruto asked in disbelief. "Every time? Wait. Is this the team with the freaky guy who likes birds way to much?"

**That guy is freaky to the max.** The Kyuubi agreed.

Gaara just looked at him.

"It is! That guy freaks the fuck out of me! Can I switch teams! PLEASE!" Naruto begged.

"No" Gaara said. It was final.

**No! Tell him that I think he is a major FUCKER! **The Kyuubi was annoyed. Naruto was pretty sure that the fox was right on this account.

"This sucks. What are their names" Naruto voiced his complaints.

"Temari is the leader-"

"Ahhh…I have to take orders from TemTem? I got an idea! I can be leader of myself! You do remember that I have a little voice inside my head. Well, it says this is fucked up!" Naruto grinned.

**Damn straight.**

Shukaku uncurled himself from sitting on top of Gaara's gourd and rather quickly jumped at Naruto. Naruto fell backwards on the floor with a loud thud; landing on his head of course. Shukaku was perched on his chest, with his lip curled up in a snarl. Gaara watched silently from his chair, not bothering to help at all.

"**Be quiet. Some people are trying to sleep."** The raccoon was staring at Naruto, and to an extent, the Kyuubi.

Naruto was going to answer that Shukaku was a raccoon/demon, not a person when the door was opened. There stood his teammates. Temari stood in the doorway with Kankuro, Kunji, and Matsuri behind her. They looked surprised when they saw Naruto on the ground with Shukaku on top of him. If they had any other emotions, they hid it well.

They all looked at Gaara expectantly, who just shook his head.

"Hey. So…Umm…When do we leave?" Naruto asked uncomfortably.

**Smooth. So very smooth.** The fox couldn't stop laughing. He slid onto his stomach and rolled onto his back where he kept laughing like a maniac.

"You may go." Gaara said, turning to his papers. As if on cur, Shukaku launched off Naruto's chest with one last glance. Rubbing his head naruto got up.

"Damn raccoon." He muttered, only to receive a low growl in response. Hastily walking, which was more a run than a walk, he followed the team out the door.

When they were out of hearing distance Temari whirled around to face him. He abruptly stopped and barely avoided colliding with her. The team stopped silently behind.

"What did he say to you?" She questioned. She didn't seem angry at him for anything, so he answered.

"Well, there's been a sighting of some rouges and he wants us to capture them. His orders are not to kill, just apprehend them." Naruto snorted at the last part. "The last thing is that I can't fight, which I think is bull by the way."

Kunji snickered. Naruto shot him a death glare, Kunji just pretended to look at the scenery. Thankfully Matsuri smacked him upside the head.

Kankuro sighed. "Yeah, it sucks to be you Naruto." He put his hand around the blonde's shoulders. "Don't worry. There'll probably won't be any fighting if this goes as planned."

In his mind the fox chuckled darkly. **Things never go as planned when the Meatbag is around. You're a danger magnet.**

_I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that._ Naruto then realized that Temari was on the move again. No only her, but everyone else had progressed without him. He scrambled after them as quickly as possible, while yelling for them to wait. "Hey! Guys! Wait up! C'mon!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

SNAP!

The commander froze as the small noise reached him, so did his comrades. Barely moving or breathing a muscle the ninjas waited to hear or catch a glimpse of what had made the noise.

There was near around twenty of them all together. Each wearing the standard uniform of gray and, or, brown. Each one of them was armed with either kunai or swords, each with a deadly look in their eyes.

Looking around the commander caught no sign of anything; he signaled for him men to carry on. He took his post located on a high branch, where he could view everything before him. As his men rushed passed him, he analyzed the battle field. They were right at the brim of the forest, where the desert was just beginning to take over. The trees were thinning but it would be enough to cover all of them. The wind blew sand into the air easily covering tracks left behind by anything(or anyone). It would be perfect for conceal. Soon all the ninjas were in place and one singled out from the rest to jump toward the commander. He saluted respectfully before speaking,

"Sir, we're all in our positions. We are ready to proceed."

"Good remember to wait for the decoys to come into focus. Our plan will be a waste if you go before the trap is ready." The commander informed.

"Of course." The ninja said, he hesitated for a moment. "What will we do with the others? They might get in the way."

"Kill them, of course." The commander stated flatly.

"But sir, our informative is among the group." The ninja exclaimed.

"He is a informative. Nothing more." The commander said without emotion.

"Y-Yes sir. U-Understood sir." The ninja stuttered before heading off after the other nins."

Staring straight ahead the ninja smiled wryly. Nothing would get into the way of his target.

"We will have our fox."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Temari's team sped through the landscape, Naruto was deep in his thoughts. His face gave no emotion what was going on inside his head. They didn't bother to ask what he was thing about; he zoomed out on many occasions. What they didn't know that he was having a 'delightful' conversation with the fox.

**I'm TELLING YOU, YOU BETTER GET IN SHAPE! THEY'RE GOING TO FIND US EVENTUALLY! SO YOU MIGHT AS WELL BE PREPARED!** The fox yelled hotly at the boy.

_WHAT DO I KEEP TELLING YOU! I CAN TAKE CARE OF MYSELF!_ Naruto yelled just as pissed. They had been arguing for tem minutes now, and neither was backing down.

The fox banged his head against the cage in frustration. He banged it very often nowadays. He took many deep breaths and tried to calm down. He succeeded, only a little bit. **Look kid. You may able to take care of yourself, I know that, but you can never be sure. I've seen you beat the shit out of some people, but how can you be sure that you can take on them? Hmmm?**

_I kno-_He began but the fox continued on, ignoring him as if he wasn't there. **You made friends at that pathetic village back there haven't you? Well, what would happen if they came here to contain you? They would all pitch in to protect you I'm sure. Bunch of morons, they are. But that's beside the point; all I'm saying is this. If we don't leave soon they might find us and attack all your pathetic friends, and that's why we left the filthy village in the first place.**

_Well…fuck. _Naruto cursed.

The fox took on a calmer tone. **Do you finally see the problem?**

_Why is it that every time I find a place where I fit in someone ruins it? I'm sick and tired of running from something that might not come at all. I hate all of this. Also, you still haven't told me who 'they' are. _Naruto complained.

The fox sighed. Sometimes the kid was just plain stupid.** It should be perfectly clear who 'they' are. For fucks sake, they are the ones who want to kill you and use my power.**

_Oh…Well, why didn't you just say that in the first place? _Naruto demanded.

**God Dammit! Who else would want to do this and deal with me, an almighty Kitsune! **The fox rambled on.

_Yeah, like you're a picnic in the park. _Naruto muttered sarcastically.

**Some people would have a little respect for their superiors. **The fox scoffed at him.

_Superiors? Answer me this: Who's sealed inside who?_

**I don't have to answer any of your pathetic questions. It would be beneath me!**

_Of course it is. _Returning to the world around him(what mattered most); he realized that they were nearing the trees of the forest. Well, you couldn't really call in a forest; there was still a rug of sand covering the ground. The trees were fairly thin and widely spread apart, but someone could live in them if he chose to.

A thought occurred to him as he looked upon the landscape. Hmmm…Maybe he would be able to go on a little walk alone. Speeding up, he came next to Temari while maintaining(easily) the constant speed she held.

"Hey TemTem I figure I can scout ahead and spot these rouges before they spot us." He suggested. She just stared at him with a look so much like Gaara's, which surprised him. It was no wonder they were related.

"No." She stated simply.

"What! Why not!" He practically wailed.

She stared at him. Again. "Because if you so happen to get kidnapped Gaara won't be pleased."

Naruto snorted, which got him a smack upside the head. Chuckling Kankuro joined them and their little chat. Adding to Temari's defense as usual.

"Beside if we send you ahead we might be sending you into a fighting spree." For some reason he smiled at the thought. _Wow, never thought Kankuro as the bloody type, only Gaara._

He shook his head. "C'mon guys! Please! I won't do anything stupid! It's just so boring running at this pace! Not that you guys are slow or anything!"

Temari sighed once more while Kankuro grinned like a moron. In the back he could swear he heard Matsuri giggle. Or was it Kunji. His laugh was just as girly as Matsuri's, so it didn't matter.

"C'mon!" He pleaded. "We're just going up against some rouges! It's not like I haven't been through tougher shit!"

Kankuro laughed and muttered quietly, "Let it be known that Naruto Uzamaki is persistent."

"I don't think there is a reason that Naruto shouldn't scout ahead. He is one of the fastest people I've seen." Matsuri put in.

"Thank you!" Naruto said to her and couldn't resist the urge to smile; no one could ever with Naruto around. Grinning he turned his attention away from Matsuri and back to the others. "C'mon! Please!"

One by one the others gave in, Temari being last. She looked around her and sighed, "Fine."

"Yes!"

"only if you promise not to get into trouble or anything of the sort."

Naruto just laughed and gave her his usual foxy grin. She had to try hard not to smile, and barely succeeded. Barely.

"It's like you don't know me at all TemTem." He had a mischievous glint in his eyes.

With that Naruto sped on ahead without glancing back. Before they knew it he was gone, covered by the haze of the desert.

"Huh. I got to admit it, he is pretty damn fast." Kankuro muttered. Looking at Temari, he noticed that she has stopped. "Hey Temari, what's wrong?"

She didn't answer. She simply gazed on ahead where Naruto had disappeared. Kunji came up and waved his hand in front of her face. No response. Matsuri tried as well, but still no prevail.

Kankuro decided to try his own method. Walking right up to her he shouted, "Hey Temari!" It was very effective.

"WHA-!" Snapping out of her trance she turned toward Kankuro.

"Umm…You stopped moving."

"Hmmm…" Temari muttered while looking around. Indeed they had stopped. "Let's move out."

Everyone nodded and headed off, unaware what was about to take place.

Far ahead Naruto was having a hard time.

"Damn coat!" He yelled, frustrated. He had been running for ten minutes and was already sweating like there's no tomorrow. He didn't know how anyone could wear it, let alone everyday.

Finally he couldn't take it anymore. Stopping in his tracks he took it off, or at least tried to. No matter how hard he tried he couldn't get the darn thing off.

"You know what! Fuck this!" Taking out his kunai he cut it down the front.

_RIPPPPP!_

He expertly sliced through the fabric, making sure to avoid wounding his skin. He hastily took it off, not wanting to wear it another moment. Now that he got the accursed jacket off he decided to examine it. Looking at it her saw the damage he had done. So did the fox.

He snorted. **Nice job stupid. Now look what you've done. You ripped it. No one can trust you with anything without knowing it'll get destroyed in some way.**

Naruto decide not to respond. Even as he looked at it he noticed something that he hadn't before. There seemed to be more than one layer of it. _What the hell?! _Using his kunai again, he delicately ripped off one layer. What he saw astonished him. There wear seals. Not only one, but two seals. That wasn't what surprised him the most; it was the fact that they were gravity seals.

_WHAA-?!!_

**This explains so much. **

_Are you freakin' serious! That's why it was so heavy!_

**This explains so much. **The fox said again.

_What does this explain? _Naruto asked curiously.

**When you have seen thousands of years and seen this sand village ninjas over the years you begin to wonder how they get certain things…This explains much of those things. **The fox explained.

_I see. _Naruto said; not really seeing it. _So…Who are these people?_

The fox snorted. **Like I'm ever going to tell you!**

_Whatever._


	5. Chapter 5

_Whatever._ Naruto said, not really caring at all.

**Yeah… Whatever. **Said the fox. **Anyway! Back to things that matter. Why are the seals there in the first place, and who put them there?**

"How the hell should I know who put them there?!" Naruto exclaimed.

The Kyuubi sighed. **Okay, first things first. When did you get the coat?**

"How the hell should I know where I got it!?" The blonde asked.

**I don't know! Maybe because you're wearing it!**

"Why don't you try to remember!?"

**Why would I remember such a stupid thing as a freaking' coat! **He snarled in frustration. **I was probably sleeping during that time anyway! There's nothing for me to do nowadays! Lying on my ass every mother fuckin' day! You should know that ninja politics and crap like that mean shit to me!**

Naruto didn't want to admit it but the fox was right. He knew the demon didn't give shit to other beings in the world, let alone ninja. Sighing he did as the fox composed.

**Now think back slooowly… **He sounded like he was talking to a three year old. **When was this materialized item placed into your hands?**

"Hmmmm." Naruto winding back in his memories. "I think I got it near 'round two months ago."

**Now we're getting somewhere. **He said with a mixture of gladness and relief. **What else can you remember?**

"Ummm… Not much actually." He bit his lower lip, his eyes somewhere distance as he thought deeply. "All I remember is TemTem nagging, and nagging, and nagging for me to have a change of clothes. God damn that was annoying!"

They were both in a state of silence, that was kept for a period of time, which was an achievement for the blonde, when Naruto suddenly exclaimed. "She's the reason I've been dragging my ASS around! I'm gonna kill her!" He grounded his teeth together. Muttering about a certain Sand ninja falling _'accidentally' _off a very high cliff.

The Kyuubi chuckled darkly, viewing the image in his mind ,all the while pressing the repeat button over and over again. **Wait one second Small Fry don't kill her. For one thing, your almighty Kazekage wouldn't want that, and other this is that it benefited you in the end. **Feeling Naruto's puzzlement he continued on in what was a superior tone. **You heard what I said before about you being as pathetic butterfly, maybe even more pathetic, well this coat could help you reach your goal.**

Naruto opened his mouth to reply to the 'butterfly' comment, then closed it, opened it again, then finally closed it. He thought of all those times he complained of never getting to participate in regular ninja activities, there was always a reason behind it, but he never really bothered to think past Gaara's answer. _Boy am I really that thick?… _No wonder people were always frustrated around him. _Hmm… Wonder where I got THAT from? Huh. Guess I'll never know._

The Kyuubi chortled quietly, all the apparently amused. **To answer the first question: Yes you're oh so very thick MeatBag. To the second, well, your parents were MeatBags, so naturally you are one too.**

_I'm not gonna even respond to that comment…_Naruto said quietly before he realize what information the Kyuubi had just told him. _Wait! Do you know who my parents are?_ The large fox didn't respond. _You do! Tell me!_

**Do you really wanna know? They are the ones who left you in this mess all alone! You'd be very upset. **The fox told him softly.

_What is that? DO I hear affection?! Are you worried about my well being!?_ Naruto asked the fox with mock surprise.

**What? No! Hell no! Fuck no! Damn no! What are you trying to imply when you say that-that…LIE! **The fox was yelling at him.

_No need to blow a fuse in the but. I was kidding…but now I'm actually thinking you like me! _Naruto couldn't stop the smile spreading on his face.

**I only care about myself! I will kill you myself if I could. When I have the chance, I will kill you. I promise you that. Unfortunately if you die, my ass is fried. You only thought you heard emotion because I apparently talk through you. By the way, I hate you. **The Kyuubi stated grimly.

"I love you too!" Naruto exclaimed out loud before realized that he was on a mission. "Damn! I'm supposed to be scouting!"

**That's what you get for stalling.**

"What! You were talking to me!"

**My point exactly.**

"Bu-"

**Put what's left of the jacket on and turn to scouting. There are people around, so I suggest you pay attention.** The fox cut him off before leaving him back into reality.

Naruto found himself in a clearing with trees surrounding him. They were very thin but they reminded him of home. He sighed. _Home. _He shook his head, and tried to focus on the mission. Looking around he found nothing, but there was a nagging voice in the back of his mind, which wasn't the fox for once, that screamed for him to run, or at least prepare himself. He didn't know why.

After a few seconds of silence he felt the spike of multiple chakras. He tensed, eyes darting left to right, ready for action. For a while nothing moved as if in an air of suspense. The suddenly he heard an unfamiliar voice.

"Hello you stupid fox."

**OH, HELL NO!**

Naruto whirled around, silently cursing him, mostly the fox, for allowing himself to be distracted, coming face to face to an elite ninja and his force. They had gathered behind him while he was deep in his mind. Sensing more chakras he guessed that they were all around the clearing. Carefully looking over the ninja, and observing their chakras, he speculated that they were no more than chunins, except the leader, who he guessed was a jonin.

Looking at him he could tell that he had a hard life, the life-span of about forty-five years. Lines expressed his whole face, all around his dull gray eyes, which showed no emotion whatsoever. Around his forehead was his headband , which symbol was so scratched ,up that is was difficult to tell what village he came from, containing a mass of dull, dreary, and stringy brown hair from his face, which was so scarred that it was almost impossible to notice them.

Before he could stop himself he blurted out. "Who the fuck are you?!"

The man smiled wryly, his thin lips curving up to show crooked teeth. He ignored the question, and asked one of his own, to his own men. "Well, what do we have here?…"

None of them answered, though they all had the same smile like him, everyone had their eyes on one target, the boy with whisker markings. This irritated Naruto, he wasn't the main attraction in a freak show!

Continuing on the jonin started toward Naruto without a hint of fear, his voice soft and devious. "I'll tell you hat it looks like. It looks like we found was we're searching for, and that this little demon won't object to it." Each step taking him closer to Naruto, who didn't as much as flinch when he felt his vile breath upon him.

**Dick.**

One though crossed his mind. "Dude, you need a serious breath mint." That wiped the smile of the man's face for about a second before the creepy smile appeared.

"You shouldn't be saying that your superiors. Especially those with the intellect that far exceeds your own." He said it with a smug smile on his face, as if he and his team were the most intelligent people on Earth.

**He's a dick.**

"Are you the rouges I was informed about?" He asked, keeping a straight face.

" We are an elite militia that travels land to land doing what we please."

**Still a dick.**

"So…You're rouges." He stated simply, mouth twitching upward to the Kyuubi's comment. He was on the Kyuubi's side on this subject, and he mentally cheered the fox on, then deep in his mind he heard deep chuckle of laughter. _Oh, shut up._

The jonin turned to the rest of his force. "Let's get this piece of demon shit out of here. The quicker the better, if you ask me. We don't want attract attention of the _Kazekage_, heard it's another one of them beasts." He stated the 'Kage' rank with distain, as if it were some kind of disease.

**Yet an even bigger dick.**

Naruto paid no attention to the cruel remark to his being, or the Kyuubi's, he only caught one word in the ninjas sentence. _It. Beast! _That was how he treated the title of Kazekage?! That simply wouldn't due, these so called ninjas seemed to want to die. He would have to teach these bastards a lesson.

_So Kyuubi do you think we should teach these a-wholes a lesson? _He asked innocently. _Or should we just kill them right here and now? I'll let you choose, either way I win, though I'm personally voting for option number two._

The fox gave a sound mixed between a feral snarl and diabolical/sinister laugh. **I would oh so very much enjoy killing them, or better yet torturing, but sadly you're ordered not to engage in battle or take a life….Hmm… Maybe… **The fox pause for a moment, trying to look for, Naruto guessed, a loop hole. He waited patiently as milliseconds rushed on by, one after another. Then suddenly the fox crackled with a disturbing amount of malice, his voice echoing throughout his mind, making his head ring. **The good thing is that he said, on one condition are we to too kill, and that is only if you're life is in danger, which theoretically means me, and I guess this is the closest we're going to get. You know what? Lets just see what happens. **He grinned evilly. **Oh, and by the way, that dude's still a dick. Just sayin'.**

"You seemed to think that I might actually go with you peacefully…" He kept his voice calm, though on the inside he was squirming with anticipation. He wanted a fight as badly as the Kyuubi did, to show that he was no weakling to be trifled with. He wanted to show everyone, especially this fool, that he could defeat anything , anyone, that came in his way.

Few of the men snorted as if they couldn't believe someone as low as he-the demonic fox- could so much have a mind of his own. To actually think that he had any right to defy them and their greatness.

**A-wholes.**

At the commander's signal(a twitch of the hand), the group of men start toward Naruto with weapons unsheathed. Naruto stood there quietly, watching them with calm, alert eyes.

Quite suddenly he felt the disturbance of the air around him, and saw the flash of shining metal. Quick as any could imagine he dove out of the way, avoiding a near round of 20 kunai, as a sly as a fox he drew out his own kunai, and flung them out toward the other kunai. He heard the clang of metal with metal, sighing with relief he landed on a nearby branch and watched the ninja spread out, all the while searching for an opening to an exit.

Immediately he knew it was a test to challenge his speed, to gather information. _Damn it all._

In his mind the Kyuubi was getting irritated. **Nice job. You could have at least taken them like a man.**

_Oh shut the hell up!_

**Hey don't tell me to shu- OH SHIT! LOOK OUT! FUCKERS!**

Naruto tried to dodge a dozen kunai as they came racing toward his face. He jumped away to another ledge, turning slightly away from the weapons, managing to escape a vast amount of injury, but unfortunately one nicked his left shoulder. Cursing he griped the-now bleeding-wound. He felt the warm blood through his fingers as the coats material soaked up the red fluid.

"Fuck"

**That's what you get for getting distracted and being a weak butterfly.** The fox told him with a smart ass kind of voice.

_What the hell?! You got me distracted and I haven't been training in a while._ Naruto dodged a few dozen more kunai. All the while ripping another piece of cloth from the so-called "coat" and wrapping it around his wounded shoulder. It was quite hard to dodge kunai, argue with the fox, and bandage a wound at the same time. He looked at his bandaged shoulder, though the cut wasn't that big it was pretty deep, already the cloth was stained by a shade of deep red. He knew that it wouldn't hold for long, he just hoped it would sustain for a bit longer.

Blood loss was the constant danger to him. Many times he stumbled, only to be saved by a tree branch close to him. His vision dazed and blurred.

He heard the men all around him making horrid comments about him. Generally about how idiotic he was compared to their intellect. He wanted to hurt them very badly, mostly to punch them in the face right them and there, but he remembered Gaara's orders.

The Kyuubi snorted. **C'mon show some backbone for god's sake! They insulted you and your precious Kazekage. Well I do to, but that's different, I'm a high level demon so it doesn't count.**

Naruto inwardly snarled his anger. _You know you could actually help me! You lazy ASS! _He ducked as he ran into a trio of ninja, who immediately aimed a series of kicks at a number of his parts, such as his head, injured arm, and torso. Barely avoiding their attacks he continued his argument with the Kyuubi.

_Besides it would at least help if you could heal my arm, its gone numb. It's kinda hard to fight with only one arm! _He dodged another kick. _Soon I might faint from the blood loss ya know!_

**Naw… Don't feel up to it. You can handle this all by yourself. You're much to tough to pass out from a mere loss of blood.**

_Fuck you!_ Naruto yelled at him before another kick was aimed at him, forcing him to retreat into the trees again. Looking around he saw that the ninja were all just in a jumble of groups not bothering to organize themselves. They didn't think that a stupid blonde could defeat them all, even the jonin leader looked relaxed as Naruto looked upon him. This irritated him, more than the fox's refusal to help.

Jumping down to the ground; actually more of a stumble, a side effect of the blood loss, he called toward a large group of chunins.

"You know what?… I could kick all your guy's asses, but sadly I can't. I been ordered not to engage in any type of battle." Naruto told them with mock sadness.

**Wait… I think they threatened you! You know before! Yeah… They threatened you, but they didn't say they'd kill you… Hmmm… Interesting. What shall we do with this knowledge. **The Kyuubi practically sang with joy.

_I believe you just made my day._

**Well… We don't know for sure if they want to kill you. I mean it's pretty obvious to me, but I'm not sure it would be to others.**

_There's one way to find out._

Not giving the arrogant ninjas to reply to his comment/insult he continued on. "Just before we do anything we might regret, can I ask you this: What will you do to me? Kill me? Hold me captive? Torture? Anything's possible."

For once the bigheaded ninjas didn't say anything. Few of them coughed uncomfortably. Most of them turned toward their leader. He looked at Naruto straight in the eye, and the message was clear. He had only one choice, come peacefully, or either kill or be killed. Looking at the jonin he knew that they both knew his answer.

The lead ninja cleared his throat. " All right then, men."

Suddenly all the men before them lost their ignorance, their arrogance, all of that was replace with blankness. No emotion, no laughter, no smirks. Nothing.

Rather quickly the Kyuubi spoke up. **Let me help.**

_No._

**What! Why not?! **Though the feelings Naruto could comprehend coming off the fox he could tell he wanted very much to kill these guys.

_Well for one thing you didn't want to help me before! This is your punishment, because you wouldn't even bother to heal me!_

**Fine I'll fuckin' heal you!** Even as he said it Naruto could feel the numbness in his arm fade away. Quickly looking at the ninjas faces he could tell they were cautious of his now healing wound, though they didn't show it. When it was all over the Kyuubi was pretty irritated. **There. Happy!**

_Eh…_

**Oh c'mon! Let me fight! I healed you! It'll be a grand time! With me helping you they'll be scared out of their wits. You know you want to see that.**

Naruto thought about it for a moment, then decided his answer, before he even told it the fox rejected.

**No! Hell no! Let me out!…**

He want on jabbering for a few more milli-seconds while Naruto refreshed his memory of his training from long ago. It was pretty scratchy but he could remember it. Taking a deep breath he returned to the real world, ignoring the Kyuubi's rejections, and lowered himself to a combat position. As did all the ninja, they seemed to take him seriously now, no sign of mockery.

He switched his balance from one foot from another, waiting for them to make the first move. They did.

Suddenly they were all at least five feet from him, as if out of nowhere, he cursed himself silently, and dodged as quickly as he could, which was quicker now that his wound was healed.

Without thinking, just acting on instinct, he back flipped onto a tree at least fifty feet away and landed on a branch sixty-four feet off the ground.

He almost lost his balance and fell off in surprise. Even the ninja were surprised, though they didn't look like it.

_What the hell?!_ He thought then turned to the fox accusingly._ You… You did this._

**Are you suggesting I get rid of it? **The Kyuubi asked a little innocently, speaking of the chakra that he had-was-pumping into the soles of his feet.

Naruto thought about it for a moment._ Eh… It's easier with it. Plus you get to see more of there fear They already think I'm the great Kyuubi no Kitsune, this'll just make them even more afraid of you._

The Kyuubi chuckled. **Exactly my point Kit. Now I wanna see blood!**

With that Naruto rushed at the ninja with his kunai drawn. The rouges were surprised at his sudden assault, they didn't have enough time to react. He slashed through a man before he could think, spun around and blocked another's attack, and then jump-kicked a third right in the stomach, sending him flying into a tree. There he didn't get up.

He went through that sequence throughout the whole battle. Repeating two words again and again in his mind. _Attack, dodge, attack, dodge, attack, dodge, attack…_

**Damn you're on fire.** The Kyuubi sighed with longing. Through Naruto's eyes he could see the blood pouring out from a dead ninja, looking at it hungrily, as if it were cool, refreshing drink. **I wish I was the one doing this… It brings back good memories.**

_Whatever. _He thought as he twisted to the right to dodged kunai with exploding tags attached. _Damn. I hate those._

Explosions erupted behind him blowing sand into the air, making miniature sand storms. He coughed, rubbed his eyes and frantically looked about him. Somehow he could see there shape clearly as though there was no sand at all. _Hmm… Kyuubi?…_

**What?!**

_Did you?…_

The fox chuckled manically. **Nope not this time. It's all you.**

_You mean…_

**Yep. You and me are still merging, so that means that you still have side-effects going on. Physical. Great isn't it?!**

_No. I dare say it isn't._

**Well. Too bad dirt bag!**

_I hate you._

Ignoring the last comment the Kyuubi sensed chakra spikes.** Kit your little fans are trying sneak up on you. Lets hope they don't stalk you. Well, don't be rude, say 'Hello!'"**

He stayed exactly where he was; pretending to look for people in the sand storm. As the seconds ticked by he could feel the chakra spikes the Kyuubi had located and at the last minute kicked around sending two rouges in the opposite direction leaving him with eight.

_Is it just me or did some of their group just disappear? _

**Nah, it's just you.**

_Did I ask for your opinion?_

**No. No you did not. But I like to distribute my wisdom to all who can hear.**

_In other words… You like talking crap to me._

**Yep. That's about it.**

Punching one in the stomach he turned around again to see one jabbing his kunai toward him. He grabbed the one he just punched and threw him towards the one behind him. The both flew into a tree, which fell on top of them. Turning to the six that was left he saw that they were looking around blindly; probably for him.

He made quick hand signs. "Shadow clone."

With five puffs of smoke there came five copies of him all bearing kunai. They charged at the vulnerable rouges. No ninja was left standing. None except…

'Where's the leader?' He asked his clones who all shrugged. He looked all around him. Nothing. " Search for him!"

His clones saluted him, each saying, "Yes sir!" They started to do in opposite direction when he stopped them, "Don't kill him."

Each clone nodded their understanding, though a few stuck their tongues out at him. He just grinned at them, then they were off.

Not even five minutes were past when they located their target. None of his clones showed themselves, they just kept themselves hidden, and to push down their chakra as much as possible.

"Good. Make sure to keep notice of his movements. Don't lose him." He grinned maniacally at his clones, who in return mirrored his smile. "We're gonna have a little chit-chat."

**We shouldn't keep our guest waiting.** The Kyuubi laughed, and so did all the clones, who all could hear him clearly.

With that they went into action, closing in on their prey.

………………………………............................................................

Temari looked up as soon as she heard the thump of a shape landing just a couple feet away. There was the hyperactive, loud mouth, out there blonde that she was so worried about. There he stood relaxed, in a slight slouch position, with tears throughout his coat, and with a mixture of dried blood and sweat soaking into the fabric.

He grinned sheepishly, and gave a slight wave. He walked toward her spot in the shade of the tree she was under, eyes glancing nervously all around them expecting something to pop out and attack.. "Hehe… Hey TemTem. So. There's nothing' out there concerning us…"

**Nothing concerning us now! **The Kyuubi laughed. **I am proud to have you for a host. **

Kunji opened his eyes wide as if in shock, but quickly hid it. She raised her eyebrow high above its standards, and folded her arms across her chest. "Really? Well then, what happened to your coat?"

"Oh, that silly little thing?! We-I mean I! I tripped down hill." He stated simply.

"A hill?" She remarked disbelievingly.

**A hill? Never mind. I take back that being proud thing. You suck.**

_Hey?! I do not suck! You suck!_

**Talk to the booty cause the hands on duty.**

He nodded. "Yeah. A hill. I mean it was no ordinary hill!" He described spreading to his maximum length, representing the largeness of this particular hill. "I was HUGE! It was the biggest hill I ever saw! I was bigger than any other hill, but smaller than a mountain."

**Great description. Did you get it at the stupid store?**

_Stupid store? What the hell? Where did you get that?! FagMart._

The Kyuubi went quiet.

_Yeah…That's what I thought. _

Kankuro just laughed, his voice echoing all over the area. Temari just gave him a glare, which he paid no attention to. He just kept on laughing. Beside him Matsuri smiled behind her hand, while Kunji snorted his disbelief while his eyes darted swiftly side to side. "Naruto I can't believe you to fall off a supposed 'hill' and cause yourself this much casualties. It's every ninja's duty to stay healthy."

The Kyuubi laughed.

_What the hell are you laughing about?_

**He said duty.**

_Oh My God. I have the sudden urge to punch you…_

Temari grunted. Walking up to Naruto she smacked him upside the head causing him to fall backwards. "What the HELL!"

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING! WE HEARD EXPLOSIONS!"

The blonde just shrugged. He tried to get up, but was pushed down with a exceptional amount of force. He put up his innocent face, which was hard since he was covered in scratches and cuts.

"WHAT! AN EXPLOSION! WHERE!"

Naruto could see Temari's eye twitch. Hard. He smiled internally.

**I enjoy pissing the crap out of her. Ahhh…** He sighed with content. **Her angry killing vibes bring me comfort. **

"Naruto, why don't you ever tell us these things?" Matsuri asked, actually it was more of a complaint.

"What things?" He asked innocently, trying not to laugh. It was very hard and painful with all his cuts.

"These things! This! What were arguing about right now!" Temari practically yelled at him.

"Were not arguing, this is how we talk everyday."

**That's my boy.**

_I'm not your boy._

**Fine. That's my annoying little thingy. Happy?**

_Eww…That sounds nasty._

**You make everything worse.**

We he came back to reality he saw that Kunji was trying to hide his laughs into coughs, but was failing miserably. He let out one small snicker, but unfortunately Temari heard. She rounded on him with a glare that could kill. He stopped laughing immediately.

**Ha! That freaky guy deserves that creepy stare.**

_Why? What did he ever do to you?_

**Oh, nothing. He's doesn't even know me remember? I just don't like him because he annoys the hell out of me by just being…him. **Naruto just smiled and agreed.

Naruto looked over at Kankuro and saw him with a small smile on his face. He looked down and laughed internally. _I love it when Temari is pissed. It's funny to watch._

**Yeah. Hate and violence are a wonderful thing. **He sighed with content. **I'm going to miss it.**

Naruto head snapped up. _What do you mean? 'I'm going to miss it.'?_

**You didn't notice?**

_What are you talking about?_

**Haven't you noticed that way the freaky guy keeps looking around? He knows something.**

_I have noticed, but I thought it was just paranoid. Now that you mention it, he does look like he knows something._ Naruto paused while looking a Kunji out of the corner of his eyes. He could feel the Kyuubi inside of him pacing back and forth across his mind._ You know don't you? You know that something, don't you?_

**What?! Me? No!** The beast told the blonde. Naruto just waited. **Okay! Yes, I know! You don't have to use the quiet treatment on me. It freaks me out that you can actual stay quiet for a period of time.**

_We have to leave again don't we? _He asked the beast with great sadness in his voice. The Kyuubi felt kinda bad about what he said next but shook his head of such silly thoughts.

**Yes. The freaky kid over there knows the whole situation. Or at least think he knows. He thinks we killed someone important in your old village to get to the title of Hokage, which is pretty stupid. He also thinks that we're hiding from someone, someone named Akatsuki. He's got that right and that we don't want anyone to know where we are. The first opportunity he gets he will tell someone we don't want to him to tell. **The Kyuubi snorted.

_What?_

**He thinks that we have hypnotized the Kazekage for us to stay here. **The Kyuubi snorted again, but this time it had a more amused outlook.

_How do you know this?_

**I'm not the Kyuuib No Kitsune, the most powerful beast in the world for nothing. **Naruto wanted to ask more but thought against it.

_Well, this stinks! Can't we just make him get a concussion or something that will make him forget! After a while of silence he continued. I like it here. It feels just like Konoha._

**I know Kit. I know. Do you want other people to hurt because you couldn't spare some happiness that might not continue?**

He came back to reality and realized that Temari had blowed off all her steam and they were going to be heading back to the village. His sad conversation had only been a few seconds. They started off towards the village and all the while Naruto kept a close eye on Kunji. He was so intense on running back to the village and keeping an eye on Kunji that he didn't notice a stare aimed at him. It wasn't the burning of a glare that Temari would have done, but the stare of curiosity. He turned around and found the eyes that belonged to Kankuro. He raised his eyes quizzically.

"What? Is there something on my face?" He asked.

**Other than the ugliness? Nope, nothing.**

_Ah man! I'm beginning to look like you!_

**Nice comeback, I'm impressed.**

_Yeah…It wasn't that hard to think of one to that pathetic insult._

**Now, that's just mean.**

_I'm sorry if I'm a little bitter. Maybe it's because I have to leave the place I feel safe at AGAIN!_

**Touché. **Naruto ignored him and focused of Kankuro's explanation.

"You seem depressed." He told the blonde. Naruto just blinked. Kankuro sighed. "Temari is right, you never do talk about it or anything."

"It?"

"Everything. What's bothering you. What's on your mind. Why you do the stupid things you do. Everything in general." Kankuro explained. Naruto was surprised. _I talk to people about things sometimes…don't I?_

**Ughhh…No. Unless you count me and I can see all you think even before your thinking it.**

_Before I think it? Nah hahh!_

**Yeah hahh! **The fox countered.

_Fine then, what am I thinki-_

**Your thinking about how much you want to punch that freaky dude over there and how hungry you are. **The beast cut in. **In fact you are so hungry that you wouldn't even care if that meal wasn't ramen. **The Kyuubi finished off.

Naruto went silent.

**Nailed it.**

Naruto then turned toward Kankuro, who was still staring at him. "I'm sorry. I 'm just really tired. It's been a long day and I'm hungry." As if proving his point his stomach rumbled loudly.

Kankuro smiled. "Once we get back to the village how about we get Temari to pay for some ramen?" Even thought Naruto wasn't originally from the sand, everyone knew about his appetite for ramen and everyone feared the day Naruto asked to pay for him.

"You would trick your own sister to get me some ramen? I'm touched." Naruto said pretending to cry with joy. Kankuro just laughed.

Once they returned to the village they were summoned to the Kazekage's office. As they entered Naruto decide that he would tell Gaara that he was leaving.

**You better do it now, because I doubt there will be another time to explain once he finds out what happened today. We both know that he's gonna find out one way or another.**

_Yeah, your right. Dammit. I hate it when your right._

**Then you should be pissed off all the time, but instead you have that annoying little aura of happiness. It makes me sick.**

Naruto turned his attention toward Gaara who was signing some papers. Just as Temari was about to say something he took a step forward and stared at Gaara. Gaara stopped signing at the papers and looked back at Naruto with curiosity. Naruto could hear Temari objecting but she was stopped immediately, probably by Kankuro. Naruto wasn't sure how he knew but he was sure that Gaara already knew what he was going to say.

He opened his mouth to say what was on his mind but closed it with a slight pop. Gaara nodded. He understood.

"Okay." He said. Naruto then turned and gave Temari and Kankuro his foxy grin. "See you guys around."

**Very subtle.**

They were completely baffled, you could see it plainly on their faces. "Wait. What?" Temari asked.

"I'ma leaving." He answered. Kankuro looked confused for a few more seconds before giving a slight nod.

"You'll be missed Naruto."

"Ahh, your just sayin' that!" Naruto laughed. "But I do expect a bowl of ramen the next time we see each other."

**Of course. **The Kyuubi said sarcastically. **Where would we be without ramen.**

_We would be nothing without ramen. How could you ever think something so evil._

**Yeah, yeah. Go finish saying goodbye and let's get out of this annoying village.**

"Of course." He paused then continued on. "We'll still be using the same method to get it though." Naruto just laughed harder sneaking a side look to see if Temari was catching on. She wasn't.

Temari was stilled confused. She looked at Gaara, then at Naruto, then at Gaara again. "How did you know that he was going? You guys didn't even say anything."

Gaara raised an non existent eyebrow. Naruto laughed again. "TemTem, I'm going to miss your logical thinking, but by now you should know that I don't always do things that seem logical!" She seemed put out by this. He walked behind them and put each arm around their shoulders. "Don't worry, I'll come back soon. What would you guys do without me to make things more fun."

Temari just grumble but smiled at the end. "We'd have less enemies and the baker wouldn't hate me."

"I didn't know that he was so sensitive about his buns."

The fox snickered at the comment. **Sensitive Buns!**

_Oh, grow up will you?!_

Shukaku shook himself out of the pile of papers he was under, which caused everyone's eyes to snap on him. He yawned, either not noticing or not caring about everyone watching him. He jumped of the desk and onto Naruto's shoulder. Naruto turned his head slightly to look him in the eye. **"You, my boy, are a pain in the ass."** They all heard gasps coming from where Kankuro and Temari were standing. They were staring at Shukaku with bulged eyes.

**Well, it seems that the raccoon never seemed interested to talk in front of other people.**

_Hmmm…You'd think someone notice when the have a talking raccoon demon with them and that their Kazekage was having conversation with it._

**I guess some people are just plain stupid. Like you.**

_Ignoring…_

He stuck his tongue out at Shukaku and saw the demon give a small smile/snarl while jumping from his should to Gaara's. "Well, I should be heading off!" he told them while walking towards the window.

**Why can't you just go through the door like normal people?**

_Because if I did that, than I wouldn't have as much fun!_

As he was about to jump through the window when he turned around and faced them once more. "Try not to kill yourselves when I'm away." He gave them one more foxy grin and launched himself out the window. He was gone.

"**Why does he like jumping out window? There are something called doors."** Shukaku growled. Gaara's mouth just twitched in response.

Gaara then turned toward Kankuro and Temari, all business, "Tell your team and all other ninjas associated with Naruto that he has left but do not tell why. I will speak to the counsel about what has happened." He instructed them. They nodded and headed out of the door without another word, though a backwards glance at Shukaku's form..

Shukaku gave his chest a couple quick licks, ignoring the stare of unemotional green eyes. He looked at the man before him with a look of what seemed to be boredom.

"**Well… That was interesting."**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Two years later…(what happened in those two years will be told later… Hehe)**_

_**0oo0ooo0ooo0ooo**_

"**Kazekage."**

**The red head man continued to read over the files of his desk, even the ground around it had piles of paper on it. At one corner of the desk was an unusually big pile of papers that seemed to be moving up and down, as if it was breathing. Paying the ninja no regard he continued on with what he was doing, after a minute he motioned for the ninja to proceed with a slight twitch of his finger.**

"**There has been a report of a disturbance near the borders of the village."**

"**What kind of disturbances?"**

"**They are…unique…" The ninja answered with some hesitation. This caused Gaara of the Sand to frown. What could set the captain of the ANBU into this state.(Don't care if the Sand doesn't have ANBU! It makes it easier on us!) "We found this at the east border." The man said while holding up an open package of ramen. Chicken-Beef flavor.**

**Gaara's eye twitched. He set down his pen and set the paper aside; the mound of paper at the corner of his desk suddenly spilled over his desk to uncover the fluffy head of the one and only Shukaku. Also one of the cutest nine living demons on the earth, to the female population at least, and a few men.(Two of those women were me and my sister!!! 8D We love you Shukaku!)**

"**It seems like our dear friends have returned from their fabulous adventure of traveling the world." **The raccoon muttered shaking off the last of the papers, giving his chest a few licks he made himself 'decent', and turned his attention toward his host. Gaara made no motion to say that he heard the ball of fluff, but the raccoon knew he had been heard.

"Sir, would you like me to lead a troop out to see to the disturbances?" The ninja asked shifting a bit putting as much distance from him and the animal without disrespecting the Kazekage. Few could be content with the tailed demon around, specially when it was out and about, including him.

"No. I'll see to it myself." The man replied.

The ninja looked slightly surprised but hid it quickly. He nodded. "Of course, Sir." He left the room, leaving Gaara to his thoughts.

"**That boy is a pain in the ass." **The raccoon mumbled. The red head nodded in agreement as he walked out of his office with a raccoon following like a small shadow.

………………………………............................................................

"That was fun!" Naruto said gleefully. He peered through the leaves of the branch he was perched on, near around twenty feet off the ground. He held a long piece of thin wire that ran down the tree and connected to a large peculiar figure behind some bushes. Naruto snickered to himself as his last victims ran away from the trap he had set, screaming of nonsense such as tentacles, four eyes, and beaks. He was miles away from the nearest village but victims seemed to be pouring in.

**I swear to god, this is the best plan I have ever thought of! **The fox inside him yelled out.

_What?! You didn't think of this, I did. If my memory serves me correctly you said, quote 'This is probably the stupidest plan you have ever thought of.' end quote. _Naruto said in a deep, gruff, growl-ish voice; trying to impersonate the fox, succeeding exceptionally.

**Do you know what, Shut Up! **The fox resorted, pissed.

_Why? Cause you know I'm winning this argument?_

**NO, because you are fucking annoying!**

_Yeah, yeah. I heard it all before. I'm annoying-blah, blah- I'm a fucking asshole-blah, blah. Heard all the shit before so you can cut the crap. _Naruto said. _You're ruining my buzz. Let's just focus on our next victim. _He looked around and spotted a figure coming toward the bush that held his 'toy'. It was hard to see the features because of the sand blowing all around but Naruto could gather that it was male and that there seemed to be a little dot following behind him like a shadow. The person seemed to have talked with Naruto's last victims since he headed in a straight path to the bush. He grinned evilly as the beast inside him snickered.

As the figure got near enough to the bush Naruto pulled the wire and his 'toy' jumped out of the bush. It stood tall with a deformed structure, eight limbs in all, sticking out all over the body. None could tell the origin of animal it represented as it came rushing out of the bush, none stayed long enough to observe it, all focused on running as fast as they could. But this figure didn't run on sight, he continued to cautiously walk toward the object. Naruto, being the evil boy he was, pulled out a second wire.

The person came nearer and nearer to the 'toy', walking slow and cautious steps, never knowing about what was coming.

_Shall I?_

**Do it!**

He tugged at the second wire, opening the objects mouth and sending out a volley of kunai. Even as the hurtled toward the man he had second thoughts, all in all he had a little concern for the man.

_Don't you think this is kinda dangerous?_

**If they can't dodge some kunai then they aren't meant to be called a ninja.**

Naruto shrugged to himself, his 'consciousness' made sense, so he watched the kunai head straight toward the lone figure. Before they reached their target Naruto knew they would never make it, and wasn't surprised when the figure dodged the kunai by sidestepping easily. The shower of kunai whirled into a nearby bush making many rodents nearby scamper away.

_See, I told ya_. Naruto said in a smirk. _It is dangerous!_

**Fuck you and your so called 'cautiousness!'**

_You know what!? I frickin' don't care anymore! Let's just focus our undivided attention on that 'person.' _He nodded below.

**Fine. But later we're going to argue about this and that is final!**

_My god, you're so stupid. _

Naruto shook his head for a moment at the Kyuubi's stupidity, suddenly an idea popped into his head, he grinned mischievously, still grinning he push chakra into his fingertips, allowing strings to extend from them.

**What are you doing?**

Naruto smirked at him. _You know, for an almighty demon, you're pretty stupid. _The fox demon huffed inside the cage in his mind. _For your information, Kankuro taught me this; it's like a remote for objects._

**Where was I when you learned this?**

_Sleeping, as usual._

**Why is it I'm always asleep when you learn new techniques?**

_Because I never want you to learn my full potential and because you're a lazy dumb ass._

**Well… **The Kyuubi didn't seem to know what to say so it changed the subject. **I thought you have to pronounce the name of the technique to actual use it.**

_Oh yeah, you do. Kankuro taught me to do this without words! Isn't it great! I can even control living things, maybe something like…I don't know, a fox._

**You bastard! **He growled at the smirking boy.

_Yeah, yeah. Save your almighty sissy rant for later. _Naruto said quickly attaching the chakra strings to his 'toy.' It had only been a few seconds since he had begun to make conversation with the Kyuubi and he didn't want to waste precious seconds. Things might go down in flames in a moments notice. _Let's test this bad boy out, shall we?_

The fox stopped its huffing and started snickering. **Let's get this show on the road!**

Naruto pulled his left hang high to get the 'toys' arms(with very sharp claws or maybe they were tentacles. Who knows?!) into the air and pulled his right hand backward to get the thing into a crouching position; still hidden by the bush. Biting his tongue he twitched his index and pinky of his right hands and the middle of his left. This would allow the creature to appear life-like to oncoming viewers with slight motions all over the body, using the tail, jaw, reflexive contractions of the skin. I think I can still do this. _Ready?_

**Do you really have to ask, Snot-For-Brains?**

_No need to get testy, I was just asking. Yeesh._

As the figure came closer to where the 'toy' had been placed Naruto leaned in closer almost falling of the branch he was perched on, but quickly regained his balance. Just as the figure reached the bush and Naruto was about to pulled his hands backward tightly and cause the object to be flung out toward the figure when suddenly the fox roared in his mind. It seemed he saw something the body didn't.

**Shit! Do not pull that! That lone ninja isn't any ordinary ninja! It's your precious Kazekage and his stupid fluff! I don't think you'd want to play a prank on your beloved Kazekage**.

He growled, oozing distaste as he told the title of the ninja.

Naruto cursed. "Son of a-"

"Naruto please come down here. We need to talk about what your doing." Gaara called out softly. Naruto started, he hadn't heard him walk up to his branch, what he did hear was some rustling sound behind, twisting around he saw a mob of sand floating in air heading toward him.

"Fuck!" He cursed as he leaped from the tree, forgetting the chakra strings attach to his fingers. As he landed on the ground he turned to see his 'toy' launching itself at Gaara. "Holy shit!"

**Fuck! This is not good! That stupid raccoon will fucking bitch at me for the rest of my days about this and my days never end! **The demon moaned slamming his head against the cage bars.

The sand altered its course and headed straight for the object attacking Gaara. _This is not going to be good. _

**Damn straight. This isn't going to be good, it's going to be great! **The demon told him cheerfully, forgetting about the raccoons' bitchings.

_I've gotta do something! _Naruto said urgently, while preparing to do some hand signs. _I have no idea what my 'toy' is capable of! It could possibly destroy the village!_

**I doubt it could destroy the villag- wait, what do you mean you don't know?! You're the one who created it!**

_Actually, some parts…Let's just say it's not authorized by… Some people._

**Where the hel- Don't make any hand signs you dumb ass! Those chakra strings are still attached, Fucker!**

"Uh-oh" Naruto muttered as he saw how far his fingers had moved; making the 'toy' move with it. "I hope those minor movements didn't cause anything stupid to happen."

**I believe you just jinxed it my friend.**

_Ahh Shit._

Looking toward Gaara he was glad to see that he had taken care of his 'toy' quietly and carefully avoiding any commotion, while not destroying it. Even as he watched the red head redirected the sand around the creature and shielded Gaara from the hail of kunai, stink bombs, and fireballs; all coming from the 'toys' mouth.

**Where did those fireballs come from? Did you put some jutsu on it or exploding tags or something? **The Kyuubi asked with confusion.

_You know what, I have no idea where those came from. _He blinked. _Hmmm…You'd think I'd notice something that big inside the thing I created. Well…helped create. I only added a few things._

**You'd think I would notice it even if you didn't. If you didn't put it in, then who did?**

_Hmmp, Who knows. Well at least Gaara isn't destroying it. That would really suck, I paid for it you know. _After a few moments of silence he asked, _Do you think we should help him?_

**Nah, he's doing fine on his own. I say we should just relax and enjoy the show**. Naruto opened his mouth to comment, but instead shrugged and leaned against the tree with his hands behind his back, thrumming the tree with the back of his fingers.(Naruto's so stupid… The chakra strings… *shakes heads*)

As a few moments went by Naruto began to watch Gaara and his sand go into the offensive and start attacking the object, every time the sand attacked Naruto could see the sand seeping into it. Naruto nodded his approval of Gaara's tactics as he continued to drum his fingers against the tree. A sudden thought popped into his mind.

_Kyuubi. _He said. The fox heard his thought, turning his attention away from the fight going on next to them, centered his thoughts to the kids mind, and asked: **What?**

_Oh, something just struck me. How is our little puppet still moving. I mean, I'm not controlling it or anything._

The Kyuubi noticing the chakra strings still attached to the boy's drumming fingers decided to see how long this little episode could last. **I have no idea. **He said with as much innocence as he could muster up, but couldn't help as a snicker escaped his mouth.

The blonde didn't seem to notice anyhow and continue to ponder over the matter while continuously drumming his fingers against the bark. Gaara seems to be getting angry. He commented to the demon who only answered with a loud snicker. To the normal person, one would see a man that shows no emotion fighting a puppet, but Naruto saw the stiffness throughout his body and the slight twitch of irritation of Gaara's mouth. Though it wasn't a very big movement that could be seen easily Naruto saw all the annoyance and anger in that one little twitch. Throughout the whole fight Gaara was shooting irritated glances ant the blonde, and couldn't help but wonder why. _Gaara needs to loosen up a bit. Don't ya think? I mean, why is he so pissed, I thought he could take that thing out with one little wave of his hand. _The blonde kept pondering over the matter ignoring the snickering Kyuubi, thrumming his fingers away. Finally, the demon couldn't help it anymore, he burst out laughing to which Naruto couldn't ignore. _What's up with you?_

**I never thought anyone could be this retarded-well that was before I was sealed in your little ass. **The Kyuubi told the confused boy. **Dude, here's a question I wanna ask you: What do you use to control this bad boy?**

Naruto stopped drumming his fingers, crossing his arms across his chest, pondering the fox's question. Then his eye opened in genuine surprise, smacking his hand against his forehead he cried out, "Son of a Bitch! Oh wait-Damn!"

He looked at the chakra strings still attached to his fingertips. And noticed that just when his fingers stopped his 'toy' stopped with him. _Oh. Well… I did not see that coming. Gaara will totally give me hell for this._

**I love seeing you look so pathetic and stupid. It gives me much pleasure and purpose. **The Kyuubi told the sheepish boy with a laugh from deep within his throat.

_I better stop. _Naruto sighed as he set out to disconnect the chakra strings, when the Kyuubi's voice stopped him. **Wait. I think we should give him a run for things… don't you? This is the only opportunity we've got and I say we would miss a great deal if we let this opportunity pass us by.**

Naruto got the point the Kyuubi was trying to get across: This might be the only time they have a chance to embarrass and annoy Gaara to this high level. Also, this might NEVER happen again, and they might NEVER get this opportunity again, though they'll get screwed right after. Naruto mentally grinned at the Kyuubi, who was grinning mischievously through the bars of its cage. Naruto then stood up quietly and lightly on his feet and moved to a higher branch where Gaara couldn't see him but gave Naruto a good vantage point. Once Naruto was seated comfortable on the branch he lifted his hands above his head and lifted his index finger of his left and lowered his pinkie of the left. This provided the 'toy' to go into a hunters crouch and face Gaara fully.

"We're so dead when this is all over."

**Damn straight. **Naruto was surprised the Kyuubi had openly admit it. He usually denied this so Naruto would go forward with his plans. **But, the ride down will be fun as hell!**

Naruto had to agree that was true, then he set to work on his 'toy', he knew the battle wouldn't last long, Gaara was getting pretty pissed. His prediction came true, not five minutes later the 'toy' was lying on the ground roughly destroyed, Naruto was looking down on it with disappointment, while Gaara was glaring at it with ill concealed annoyance. Naruto sighed his regret, "Ahh man. I worked on this for months and you come along and screw it up in a few minutes." Gaara turned his glare on Naruto. "What?" Gaara continued to glare, "I was just having a little fun! You can't blame me! I have been traveling this harsh and cold world for two years! I have seen much distraught and violence so I thought I would lighten up the mood of this cruel world we call home!" Naruto told the glaring red head dramatically; waving his hands it the air.

**Cruel world my ass. You just don't want to get hit.**

_Shut it._

Gaara continued to glare at the blonde until he started shifting from one foot to the other nervously. Shukaku, who was at Gaara's feet, was looking up a Naruto with unblinking eye which made the blonde even more uncomfortable.

"**You my boy, are a pain in one's ass. You and that fox of yours." **The raccoon said simply as he turned and started walking away. Gaara followed suit with another glare pointed at him. Naruto blinked once and stayed where he was for a moment. He then picked up his messed up 'toy' and tossed it over his shoulder casually. He trotted to walk in step with Gaara. Shukaku looked behind to see Naruto and whispered, **"Stupid foxes." **Since there was no wind blowing as before Naruto heard it perfectly.

He grinned at the raccoon. "I love you too Shukaku!" Naruto heard the laughing of the Kyuubi in the back of his mind. He turned toward Gaara, "The others are fine." He turned all serious and the annoyance disappeared from Gaara's eye as he nodded, knowing exactly what he meant; the other Jinchuuriki. They walked in silence for a few seconds before, "Two of them should be headed this way in a week, but for now they will be staying close the Village of the Mist. Close but not to close."

Gaara just nodded again not even surprised. "Did you have any problems getting to them and back?" Naruto just grinned mischievously at him. "I see. Mind telling what they were?"

"Of course, almighty Kazekage." He grinned wider at the red head before continuing. "They sent quite a few to capture us. We gave them a run for their money and had a blast playing." He shifted the 'toy' further up his back so it wouldn't fall. "Sadly, they lost the game but did earn a prize. One of them won't be able to sit down properly because of what I shoved up his ass." He sad gleefully.

**I still thought an explosive tag would have worked better.** Gaara winced slightly at what he imagined Naruto could fit up that man's ass. "Is that it?" The blonde nodded but Gaara could see there was something else from the look in his eyes. "What else happened Naruto?"

The fox host looked at him and quickly turned away. "I saw some old friends." He said quietly all cheerfulness gone in a flash. "They were there for an alliance with the Mist and as I was passing the main road when they spotted me." Gaara's eyes went wide a fraction of an inch, but recovered it so fast that Naruto didn't even notice it. "One of them gave chase while the rest went on. He used to be my best friend but treated me like a stranger. It was as if we had never met." He sighed. "I defended myself until I had no choice but to go on the offense. We went full on and as we were about to finish each other off our 'friends' came. They stopped the battle and helped me escape." Naruto smiled slightly then frowned and looked at the sky, lost in his own memories. He bore the 'toy' higher on his shoulder.

**We could have won if you would have just let me help! We could have killed that bastard! **The Kyuubi said furiously, not liking the idea that they had lost.

_I never wanted to kill or even fight him. _The boy replied sadly_. Besides, we didn't lose we just took a very long break in the end of the fight._

**Yeah, but that bastard tot-**

_I rather not talk about this right now. _Naruto interrupted softly. The Kyuubi knew the boy was really depressed and let the matter drop. He seemed totally down, downer than he was ever before, the only way he would lighten up would be if he had something to do or else something got his whole attention. So the first time out of all the years they were together the Kyuubi decided to do something nice.

**Hey, Fluffer Puss! **He called out at Shukaku in the front, knowing the raccoon could hear him, and would most likely give him hell for this later. Naruto paid no attention, keeping his eyes straight forward. **I was wondering how you were doin' cause I was so worried that you might be hurt somehow while I was gone.**

He received no answer.

**Because while I was away I met up with a certain demon.** Shukaku stiffened, but he didn't turn or anything just kept on walking. The two humans, confused, looked at each other hoping the other would know what the fox was planning. Sadly neither of them knew. The Kyuubi continued on, in what was a superior tone.

**He told me some really bizarre information, he talked about a little episode you had. It was when you first came out he said. **The fox told him, the widening of Gaara's eyes showed that he understood what was happening which earned him a confused look from Naruto. **I think I remember his exact words were… Hmmm… What were they again? Oh yes, I remember. **The fox paused as if to add dramatic effect. **They were, ' The Sand demon, Shukaku, once released had no control over himself.' Then he went into detail of what you did when you were… Loopy. **The fox chuckled while continuing on. **What was bizarre was that I never thought, even guessed that you would be the kind that cudd-**

"**How dare you!" **The raccoon snarled as he stopped in his tracks and turned to glared at the fox, which in turn was glaring at Naruto. "**You may never speak of that again!" **He all but spit out at the demon who was laughing hysterically inside was still slightly confused. He looked at Gaara, who was looking up toward the sky awkwardly. "Wait. So I get that he was all drunk when he first came out. But I'm wondering 'Why?' and 'What did he do?'"

He kept on questioning Gaara, who wouldn't utter a word, and Kyuubi, who would tell him because he wanted him to think and find out by himself, for both torture and so the boy wouldn't ponder over depressing subjects. Finally Naruto decided he would try to find out on his own. They were enveloped in silence only interrupted from the chuckling from Kyuubi and the occasional snarl from Shukaku.

After a few minutes of Naruto going nowhere near the truth, he sighed. "This would be so much easier if someone would just tell me." He pouted. Gaara just shook his head, Shukaku didn't even turn around, while Kyuubi was still laughing not taking in the warning snarls Shukaku threw his way. "Fine I'll just figure it out myself!" A few more seconds and there was moan coming from Naruto, still not knowing what Shukaku did. "Ughhhh! This sucks!"

The Kyuubi stopped his laughing for a moment to say, **Hey MeatBag! Why don't you fucking think over the last sentence I said before I was rudely interrupted? That fucking sentence says it all. **The Kyuubi growled back at Shukaku as Naruto thought it all over… again. (We're not trying to make Naruto seem stupid or anything, we just need stuff to make this chapter longer. So not one word bout' it.)

"Hmmm…" Naruto nibbled on his thumb remembering the conversation. "The Kyuubi said something about never guessing… yada yada. That he would never be the kind to cudd." He mumbled to himself. "What the hell is cudd?" He asked to no one in particular. The Kyuubi laughing evilly as Shukaku's growls became more pronounce. "Shukaku did something and that was cudd…"

**MeatBag… Cudd is not a word. So what word could have been thinking about? Use you freakishly small brain dammit! **Naurto ignored the last comment and continued to think.

"Cudd… Cudd… Cudd… Mud… Crud… Love…Wud… Bud… Cudd… LEE!" Naruto shouted, thinking of a young spandex wearing man. "Wait. What the hell?! Why'd that pop into my head? Oh yeah! Cuddly!" Gaara just looked at him quietly and shook his head.

**Where the fuck did that come from?! Never mind you got it.**

_What?! Really?_

**Hahaha! No, I'm just kiddin' with ya dumbass.**

_Really? _He asked disappointed. _I was really sure it was cuddling._

**My god. Okay, kid you got it. I was just messin' with ya that time. **The Kyuubi shook his head. **I'm serious, you can be really thick at times.**

_Well, can't change that. _The blonde said. Speaking out loud and to Shukaku he asked: "Shukaku, if you were cuddling, who were you cuddling?"

He noticed Gaara looking away awkwardly at that moment, then it all clicked.

"YOU!"

No answer.

"REALLY! IT WAS YOU!"

Still no answer.

"Totally was you. Was it?"

This time he turned his head away, avoiding eye contact, and set his pace faster.

"I'll take that as a 'yes'." He started smiling as he set his pace just as fast. "So. What did it feel like having a demon cuddling you?"

Gaara didn't even look at him.

Naruto just smiled wider. "I bet you felt really weird! Hahaha! Thank goodness no one saw that, that would be awkwaaarddd!" Naruto told him stressing out the last word. Gaara said nothing in return. Naruto just started laughing more, "Oh my god! Someone did see! Damn! I wish I was there or at least be the cause of your discomfort!" He sighed disappointingly.

Gaara glared at him from the corner of his eye. 'Let's just forget this."

"Right Oh Buddy!" But the blonde smiled evilly at him so Gaara knew that he was never actually gonna let it go. Naruto looked up in front to see Shukaku still in front growling and bristling in anger.

"No worries Shukaku. I won't tell anybody." He promised. "And I always keep my promises."

Both demon and host snorted. Although he always kept his promises it always seemed like he could twist his words. Gaara was about to comment when they all felt two familiar chakras. With a start Naruto realized that they were only about half a mile from the Sand's huge wall.

Running toward them were none other than Kankuro and Temari. Both seemed to look relieved to see both of them, Gaara for being their brother and Kazekage, and Naruto being an irresponsible and danger attracting magnet, but all the same a great friend.

They reached them in only a matter of minutes, neither panting, and searched them over for any injuries they may have obtained. Finally realizing neither of them were hurt Temari smacked Naruto upside the head once they were close enough. Poor Naruto never saw the thing coming as he toppled to the ground. Temari spoke first her words directed to Gaara.

"Where did you go?" She demanded, worry evident in her voice, ignoring the "Ow!" that came from the blonde. "When we heard you left the village you were already gone. Both you and Shukaku."

"Besides," Kankuro spoke up, eyeing the fallen Naruto carefully. "not only are you our brother but the Kazekage. If you want to leave the village than, at least, take a few ninja with you. Although," He said looking at Naruto, smiling. "this guy right here would be more than likely enough."

Naruto grinned as he got up from the ground, dusting off all the sand. He winced slightly when he gently touched the spot were Temari's attack landed.

**Ugh. All this friendship in the air is making me sick! **The Kyuubi snorted. **Although, these people hurt you more than your other friends do so they're all right with me.**

"You wouldn't need to worry. I'm completely capable of ensuring my own safety... " Gaara said. "and if by chance I am in some sort of danger that I can't handle then there are others I would trust."

It took a moment of what he said to sink in, and when it did Naruto couldn't help but smile jokingly. "Aww! Gaara you do consider me your friend! All this time I thought you just kept me alive because you liked the way I bring meaning to your life."

Gaara looked at him with an expression that plainly said something else. As did Temari and Kakuro, who's smile now spread wider showing teeth.

He put an arm around Naruto, across his shoulders, causing the 'toy' to fall in a heap. Before Naruto could point out what he did Kankuro interrupted him.

"So, what went on in your little adventure? Did anything exciting happen?"

Again Naruto was about to speak when a fleeting look from both Gaara and Shukaku silenced him.

"**The boy was up to mischief. Him and that retched fox inside him thought it would be funny to amuse themselves by alarming shinobi with that so-called puppet. Neither of you knew of this, did you?" **Shukaku seemed to eye Kankuro. As did everybody else, except Naruto who had ducked under the man's hand and was now looking over his 'toy' to fully examined the damage done to it.

"When I found him he seemed to be using chakra strings to control the puppet. I once thought that only puppeteers could only do that, or was I mistaken?" Gaara inquired.

The puppet master shrugged. "I didn't actually do anything. I just happen to be practicing with my technique and he just happen to be there to, and just happening to be following my format. Nothing I can be charged with. As for the puppet, well, I knew about it because I helped him pick it out. Though I knew nothing of the advances he put on it." He shrugged once more, raising his arms in defense as Temari took one step toward him, her hand starting for her fan. "I didn't know anything of what he was going to do with it, that I veered away from having nothing to do with it. I knew there was going to be trouble but I didn't wanna act on something that would settle itself."

"So," Temari asked. "all in all, you knew something about this?"

"In a sense. Though a very small sense. Yes."

"Well, because of that we had to be in an uncomfortable situation." Shukaku said. He jumped up onto Gaara's shoulder his gaze focused on Naruto movements, not trusting anything. He settled into a comfortable position in which he could clearly and easily see all that the blonde was doing.

"Ah-ha!" Naruto exclaimed. The others turned and looked at him, all except Shukaku who was already staring intently at the boy. He was peering into the mouth of the puppet and was delighted to see a monstrous amount of exploding tags piled in. "I knew it! I was so right! It could've destroyed at least half the village!"

**Alright, alright. You win this time, just one question: How did those get in there? Did you put them in there?**

_Nope. Why would I be looking for them if I planted them there?! And wouldn't you know since your inside me? You see everything I do don't you!?_

**Just askin'. **The Kyuubi muttered. **Don't have to be so rude.**

Naruto did a little jump when a hand came out at the edge of his vision and grabbed one of the tags. Turning his head to his left he saw Kankuro turning the tag over with his fingers, examining it. He looked at Naruto eyebrow raised. "What?!" asked the blonde.

The puppet master sighed shaking his head. "Nothing."

Naruto shook his own head muttering something along the lines of, "Weirdo." As Naruto began walking through the small, and thin forest(were he was attacked before) towards the village he was smacked upside the head again, but this time by Kankuro."What was that for!?"

Everyone shook their heads in unison as they walked on without him.

Naruto picking himself from the ground again holding his 'toy' and trotted to catch up. "Ughh… You people are so mean!"

Kankuro just looked at him, while Gaara muttered something about getting back to the village.

"SOOOO…. Does this mean you forgive me for attacking you with my puppet!" Naruto smile pleadingly. All he got for an answer was a mass of sand attacking him from the left and right. But fortunately for Naruto he knew something like this was going to happen and jumped high into the air above Gaara landing with a flip on the other side of him. "HA! What now Gaar-" Naruto never finished his victory speech as Gaara extended a hand and pushed Naruto square in the chest, making him fall flat on his ass. Shukaku who saw Naruto in his vulnerable state jumped on the blonde's head and smacked him with his tail. Hard. And I mean hard. Once Shukaku was done with his beatings he jumped from Naruto's head to Gaara's shoulder.

"**That's what you get boy for being incredibly stupid." **The raccoon said in a snobby voice.

"Oww… Ughh… I don't like Pain, but it seems like it's my best friend! Why is that?" He whimpered. (No. Naruto is not a wuss, it's just that that assault was VERY brutal) Kankuro just shook his head at Naruto while he continued to walk with the others. "I have to get some new friends. Friends that don't hit me every second." Naruto, again, picked him and his toy off the ground and caught up with the siblings.

Naruto sighed. "You guys are one of the most serious people I've met and that's sayin' something."

**Well, not as serious as that Cloud girl. What was her name? She had the two-tailed. **The Kyuubi said.

Naruto rubbed his chin, thoughtfully. _You mean Nii? Yeah, you're probably right. I haven't met anyone as serious as her. She would never laugh, although I got her to smile a few times. _He bragged to the fox.

**Oh yeah! Didn't you step in some horse shit on the road or something? It made me smile too if that counts! Haha!** Naruto frowned and muttered something about people misplacing there horse shit. Gaara and the other two siblings, upon hearing his mutterings, smiled.

As they got nearer to the village they came across a thin and very small forest before them. (It seems like the village if really frickin' far away and yes we know, but we need this to be this way, soooo…. Yeah.. Back to the story…) As the four companions walked through the thin forest Naruto recalled the last time he was here; with the men that were trying to harm him and his friends. He grimaced slightly regretting nothing that he had done that day. He looked around with boredom in his eyes. He couldn't seem to find anything interesting to do to pass the time away.

He sighed dramatically. The three siblings took no notice. He sighed again, loudly. He saw a slight twitch of Temari's fingers but that was it. For a third time he sighed, so loud that some birds in the trees flew out in fright. Again no one paid any attention to him so he sucked in a large breathe of air, but as he was about to let it out Temari spun around and glared at him with menace in her eyes.

"If you sigh one for time I will hit you with my fan so hard you won't be able to sit down properly for a year." She threatened him. He just looked at he and slowly let all the air rush out of his lungs, then sucked in another deep breathe. Suddenly Temari's face was right in front of his, only inches a way. "Do it and I'll kill you."

They had a staring contest for a few seconds, Temari glaring at him with so much intensity, and Naruto with his breathe still held in, starting to turn blue. He blew out all the air out right in Temari's face, to her irritation. Again she twitched.

He grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.. "Hehe, sorry TemTem some things just have to be let out."

She tried to calm herself by breathing deeply, through her nose out her mouth, trying not to kill the blonde-headed boy in front of her.

Naruto turned toward the other two siblings. "Why does she get to breathe loudly and not me?!" He whined in a mock-hurt voice.

Kankuro put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You do it to annoy the crap out of people and she does it to resist the urge to kill everyone. Personally I would love to continue on living. Wouldn't you?" he smiled wryly, "Besides, you do other annoying crap that we all hate and love. Like bringing up awkward conversations that we would all like to avoid, but you bring it up anyway."

The Kyuubi laughed. **I love it when people get awkward, its funny to follow them and watch them interact.**

_There's a word for that, I believe it's called stalking._

**Call it what you will.**

"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or a insult. I figure I'll just that it's meant to be a positive comment. Also, I don't bring up awkward convers- Oh. My. God!" He yelled suddenly, scaring them all. "Look at that shiny rock over there!"(We like shiny rockz! ^_^ )

Everyone sweat dropped as Naruto raced over to a thick tree; well thicker that all the other trees, and squatted down to peer at the base of the trunk. They walked over to him and looked at what interested him so much. All they saw was an ordinary rock that seemed to reflecting the sunlight somehow. As they peered closer they saw that it was rubbed smooth, all edges gone. "It's so shiny. J-Just look a-at it!" He seemed to stutter with zealous emotion over the exceedingly sparkly piece of compounded dirt.

"**You are probably the most stupidest boy in the world, and that so-called ancient fox inside doesn't help either."**

Shukaku growled from his perch on Gaara's shoulder, where he had yet to move from. Naruto paid no attention to him, he put all his concentration onto the glimmering object in front of him. Inside, unaware to everyone ,except Gaara and Shukaku, there was a battle of will and wits going on.

_Should I pick it up?_ Naruto asked.

**No, it might disturb the natural balance of this intricate piece of art.**

Naruto was shocked. _but don't you want to find out what it feels like when you touch this magnificent piece of-of-o-_

**Dirt. **The Kyuubi supplied.** It's just dirt compressed together.**

_You hatin'?! _Naruto complained reaching for the rock, But before he could place a finger on it there was a burst of chakra and Naruto found his hand stopping inches away from the rock. To his shock the Kyuubi had put all his will into stopping Naruto from touching the rock. _What? No! I must touch it!_ Naruto yelled at the fox. With all his strength he inched his hand toward the shiny object.

**You cannot! I won't allow it! I want to touch the rock as much as you do, maybe even more, but we cannot touch it! **The fox yelled back at the boy and stopped the hand once more.

_No! I will touch the shiny rock and you can't stop me! _And the battle raged on.

"Umm, Naruto what are you doing?" Kankuro asked, not even ten feet away.

"I am trying to get to the damn shiny rock. Dammit!" Naruto yelled the last part through his teeth as yet again the rock escaped his hand. The others just started as his hand inched forward slowly, and then inched back, the pattern was repeated over and over. "Okay, this is getting annoying!" The blonde yelled in frustration. In his mind he yelled, _C'mon! Just let me touch it once! Nothing is going to happen!_

Gaara chose this time to speak up. "Naruto, it's just a rock. Let it go."

Naruto's head snapped toward the red head in shock, all the while his hand inching back and forth. "What!? Gaara, never joke about something that important!"

"Fine then, just pick up the rock or I'll crush it." he said simply, Shukaku growling an agreement.

"NO!"

**NO!**

There seemed to be an echo of the blondes rebuttal, a more gruff and snarly voice. Gaara blinked once, showing nothing, then rolled his eyes. "Fine. Do whatever you want. It's not like I'm Kazekage or anything." Despite himself and the feud he was in, Naruto chuckled lightly to himself.

Temari seemed to have forgotten her recent rage and watched Naruto's short attention span go into action with a smile. Kankuro just chuckled covering his mouth with his hands so the boy wouldn't see.

After a few more minutes of agonizing frustration Naruto knew he couldn't take much more of this. If he really wanted to hold the rock, he had to do it soon or he would walk away and never see the beautiful rock again. (And yes, this rock is like SUPER important to Naruto and US! Later on there will be a lot more crap going on, surrounding this damn rock, so…yeah)

_Bastard fox. What has he got that's so against this rock! _Naruto thought to himself, which naturally the fox could hear.

**Eh! This rock has some funky stuff going on with it! So don't call me that you little ass!**

_How bout this? We can make a deal. You let me hold the rock, and I will let you out for ten minutes free to do anything._ Naruto told him.

**Anything? Anywhere? Anytime?**

_Yes. Anything. Anywhere. Anytime. _Naruto confirmed making sure not to let it slip that he might just let the fox out in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to destroy, and no one in sight to kill.

The fox seemed to consider this and for a moment Naruto's hand stayed still. **Hmmm… Stay inside you and force you not to touch a awesome rock that might cause something disastrous or get out of this dump and go on a rampage for ten whole minutes. Tricky decision.** The Kyuubi murmured, which Shukaku heard. He growled. **Whoa. Looks like someone's jealous. That's another bonus to this agreement. Ah, what the hell. Deal.**

_Sweet! _Naruto grinned as his hand reached out in the direction of the rock but was stopped by Gaara's words. "Naruto, think carefully. Do you know what you are doing?"

He stopped and turned his head and grinned wider. "Nope, of course not! But alas, that is how I work!" With saying so, he closed the small gap between him and the rock. He took it in his hands and stood up. He just stared at it for a while, then smiled. "See. No harm done!"

**Stupid boy. **The Kyuubi muttered, not happy that he was wrong about the rock. But then his mood changed suddenly, he gets to do on a killing spree. He twirled around in his cage with joy.

Naruto began to walk toward the group of siblings and didn't see hi 'toy' he had left on the ground, hence tripping over it and dropping the 'sacred' rock. "No! My rock!"

Even as it fell the rock shimmered briefly and dropped to the ground emanating light everywhere. As it landed there was an explosion of light, blinding everyone, all except Naruto who landed on the ground catching himself on his hands and knees. He gasped as he looked down at the dirt, but there was no dirt under him, no ground for that matter, there just seemed to be a pit of black.

_Why isn't there any ground holding me up?_ he asked the Kyuubi, slightly disturbed by the thought of being sustained upon a pit of black.

**I told you not to touch that damn rock!** The fox snarled, ignoring his question. Although he to was worried of the ground that wasn't beneath them, they would have fallen by now, and yet they hadn't, they just been floating there.

Naruto voice both their observations._ Shouldn't we be fal-_

Suddenly they weren't suspended anymore, they were falling. Falling into the blackness of the hole before them. Even as Naruto fell he could feel the coldness of the black enveloping him, he couldn't scream or make any noise for that matter, the blackness seemed to suck it up into nothingness. The Kyuubi seemed to have said something, but Naruto hadn't heard a ting, and yet he could hear it all. His body had no feel to it, as if it was completely numb, and yet he could easily have sense of feeling to it.

Then suddenly all the senses he had lost come back to him in a blast of energy. He came aware of the movements of his body, the sight of his eyes taking in every ounce of the darkness that was consuming him, he could hear and smell the nothingness surrounding him, devour the bittersweet taste of the blankness, and he could feel his throat working on the screams that he knew would venture out of his own mouth.

**This is nothing I have experienced before. It makes me feel… **The Kyuubi no Kitsune seemed to be trembling. **Powerless.**

Looking up, or down, he wasn't sure, he saw the gap between him and the Sand Siblings grow bigger and bigger each passing moment. He could almost hear their screams for him. He then saw their heads turned abruptly to a voice he could hear clearly as day. It seemed familiar in a way and in another completely alien.

"No! Naruto!"

He closed his eyes as the nothingness enveloped him completely in darkness.

_0oo0ooo0ooo0ooo_

**Author's comments:**

**Okay, now yall know that me and my sister write these fan fictions together and we thought we should clear up some things to ya! =]**

**1. In the first chapter it showed that Sasuke is still in Konoha and Gaara is Kazekage at the same time… how that happened, well we honestly don't know. So just be happy it's like that!**

**2. This is our first story so don't be hatin'… ^^ Be happy that we are getting off our lazy butts and doin' something'!**

**3. If you are a Sakura and Naruto luver… this story isn't for ya. Sorray! You can, though, pretend that it is a Sakura and Naruto story. Feel free. Lawlz. **

**4. If you people don't review me and my sister will cry. Can you have that on your conscience? I think not. So…REVIEWW!!!! ****J Thank you for your time. **


	7. Chapter 7

The first thing Naruto noticed as he snapped into consciousness was that he had a headache, a big one in fact, and his head was ringing continuously. It was as if something or someone was hammering his head, ring after ring, it was unbearable.

The second was that he felt that there was a part of him missing, as if somewhere inside he had been hollowed out, like a part of his soul had been ripped out. It was an uncomfortable feeling of this hollowness that led him to actually start moving and trying to use his body.

He groaned. _Ugh. My head hurts. _He lifted his hand up to his head and rubbed it gently. Shaking his head slightly he brought himself up to his elbows, blinking slowly. The first thing he saw was a small dainty white colored flower, whiter than snow, it showed with a certain glow to it. He stared at it for a while, not comprehending where he was and what had happened to him.

After a second or so it came to him that he was in a forest of some kind, trees surrounded him, and from the smells he could gather there were no animals to be seen. Strange. He turned his head from side to side trying to get a better look at his surroundings. All he saw was trees, trees, and more trees, nothing else. Looking up he gazed at the sky, which was a deep shade of red and orange with tinges of purple, and guessed it to be near around late afternoon. Glancing around once more and knew he wasn't in the Sand Village anymore from the absence of sand and rough winds.

_Hey Kyuubi. _He thought standing up shakily, rubbing his hands on his coat trying to get of the dirt that stuck to his palms. _Where do you think we are this time?_

He waited a moment for the demon to answer, but surprisingly he didn't say a word, nothing in fact. Usually the smart mouth, high tempered, bastard of a fox would have make a remark by now.

_Ummm, Kyuubi? _He asked again, uncertainty clear in his thoughts. _Are you there?_

No answer.

_Kyuubi?!_

Still no answer. Now Naruto was angry, how dare the fox ignore him at a time like this and act like his little furry ass wasn't there. Closing his eyes shut he centered his thoughts, opening them he found himself in the all to familiar sewer of his mind, turning he faced cage that held the demon. Only there was nothing inhabiting it. It was empty.

"Wha?!" He stared in gaping shock, both eyes and mouth as wide and big as they could get, as he beheld the empty cage before him, the seal was still there, as he clearly saw, but the giant fox inhabiting it seemed to have vanished.

The feeling of emptiness came over him again, a twinge in his gut, only this time he knew why. It was because the Kyuubi somehow wasn't residing in him anymore, there wasn't anymore power to hold, no demon to pen up. It was his curse to hold the Kyuubi no Kistune inside of him. That it was his job and nobody else's. He felt like that was all he was meant for, just a cage for something that was now gone. It was rather depressing.

"Where'd you go?" he said in a small voice. He felt alone. More alone than he had ever felt. Closing and opening his eyes once more he returned to the real world.

Thinking about it for a movement he finally decided that he would look around and gather where he was, he didn't want to be in the black anymore.

In the corner of his eye he noticed something, it was the dainty white flower that he had seen earlier. Crouching down he observed it, noticing the glow around it, as if it was radiating from within. Looking on he also noticed that their were more of them, lots of them in fact, they seemed to go on following a certain path through the trees.

"Hmmm… I wonder where this leads to?" Getting up he slowly walked down the path of flowers, crushing the grass beneath his feet. The flowers appeared to be multiplying as he walked along until, he continued on until he came upon the end of the trees. The sight there stupefied him, making him stop in his tracks shocked. There before him was a never ending field of white flowers, millions of them one after another, radiantly glowing. The breeze blew at them, showering him with many seeds and loose petals. It blew so much that he had to cover his mouth and nose with his sleeve making sure not to sneeze.

He started to walk through the blossoms but something stopped him. There, in the corner of his eye, was a red stain in a patch of the white flowers, the color immediately was focused on.

From the point where Naruto was he couldn't really see what the stain was. He wondered what it might be, or if he should or shouldn't check it out. In the end his curiosity got the better of him, he went toward it without pause and crouched over it.

Up closer it turned out to be a small lump, an animal of some sort, curled up in a tight ball. Dark red fur covered its entire being, sticking out in odd angles allowing him no look at any distinctive part of the animal. He poked it, the fur twitched. A smile cracked at his lips, he poked it once more. Another twitch. He grinned like a little kid, forgetting his previous sad attitude he lowered himself onto all fours and kept on poking it, giggling at the little movements the fur gave. It was an odd site, too say at the least.

After a number of pokes the whole body of fur began to twitch and move. Naruto looked on watching as the lump of red started to uncurl itself, his finger inches away from another poke.

Soon he could distinguish body parts such as the front paws and hind legs, though the rest was still a mass of fur. Then the animal raised its head to meet Naruto's, inches away from his face, and stared at him with sleepy eyes.

Naruto sucked in his breath. Those eyes. _How in the world-_There right in front of him, staring sleepily at him with blood red eyes was the Kyuubi no Kitsune. With flaming red fur, black around the eyes and mouth, whiskers producing from its snout, and nine tails uncurling around its body and swaying lazily.

"What in the world!?!" he yelled straight in the fox's face loudly.

"**Go away! I don't wanna kill any people right now!" **The fox growled at him grumpily, he closed his eyes again trying to ignore the kid. The Kyuubi was not a morning type person and it was proven as he snarled at the boy. Naruto had chosen that moment to reach out toward the Kyuubi. This time heeding the fox's warning Naruto, still on all fours, slowly backed away a few feet.

"H-how in t-the w-wor-ld d-did you…" He stuttered out, stunned, staring at the creature in disbelief. There was no way that this was possible, and yet here it was.

The Kyuubi didn't seem to notice his sputtering and snarled at him again. Once he was content with his snarl he curled up in a tight ball again, and soon after Naruto began hearing short growl. The Kyuubi was snoring.

"This can't be happening. It's not possible." Naruto was frantic. "The seal is still intact and everything. So how is this happening?!" As he continued to ask these questions to himself he grew louder and louder, until he was almost yelling. He turned toward the Kyuubi, sleeping his ass off. "And you are not going to sleep through this! I'm plainly freaking out and you're just sleeping there!" With that he grabbed the fox by the scruff, lifted him into the air, and shook him gently, but not to gently.

The Kyuubi's eyes snapped open, sleepily and puzzled . He looked at the boy confused for a second, then he finally looked at his surroundings. Then again he looked at the blonde, suddenly he laughed a short and madman-like laugh. **"You looks like a leaf."**

"Huh?…" Naruto stared at the fox like he was crazy, which didn't far off from this point. Maybe the fox recognized him as a Leaf nin, maybe he remembered who Naruto was!

"**A leaf with some shit!" **The fox slurred at him happily. **"Haha! Leaf with shit! You're a dirty leaf!"**

Naruto of course sweat dropped the moment those drunkin' words left the fox's mouth. "Well, this is not going well."After another moments pause Naruto went into action. Looking around him he saw a thin pathway going north. He picked up the drunk fox ignoring the complaints and threats aimed at him and started walking on the trail that led to god knows where.

Even after hours of walking on the trail Naruto still had no sense of direction. The grumbling fox hadn't made matters any better. Ever few seconds the fox would bark out at something and as Naruto turned to see what it was the Kyuubi would try to make a break for it. Naruto just held on tighter as he felt the fur begin to slip out of his hands.

"This is getting really old fast." He told the irritated fox as once again his plans to slip out of Naruto's iron grip failed. He growled in response and Naruto just sighed. "Well, have it your way. It's either this all night or we could go in one of those trees and have a nice fitful sleep. But I guess you don't want to do that."

The fox stopped its squirming and looked up and the blonde man and seemed to deflate. **"Fine. But only because I chose to you dirty little leaf."** Again Naruto sighed, at least he could sleep.

He found a tree suitable, and boy was it suitable. It was huge, plainly said, its roots spreading all around it, intertwining with other roots from other trees. The trunk was as thick and as big as a regular house in Konoha, and that seemed big enough. The lowest branch was at least fifteen feet above the ground, all of them created a web of branches by the way that they twisted and spiraled around each other. Green seemed to cover every inch of it, whether it be the leafs or the moss growing at its base. Plainly said, it was humungous.

Naruto whistled. Now that was a big tree. Crouching down he launched himself up to the lowest branch without a backward glance at the fox. As he got to the branch he sat down heavily. He had walk quite a lot that day and he thought he deserved a break from it all. He looked down and was slightly surprised to see the fox still sitting at the base of the tree. Naruto saw that the Kyuubi was looking at his paws.

"Hey, furball! What's the matter?" He called down.

"**Look at them." **he replied still peering down.

_Look at what?_ The blonde thought to himself.

"**Look at my claws." **Naruto didn't catch that the fox had answered his question when he hadn't said it out loud.

"Oh. Yeah. There nice. Nice and… Uh… Sharp."

"**Aren't they? They are perfect for ripping stuff apart." **The bunch of fur said dreamily. **"I wish I has something to rip."**

"That's not weird at all." With one last look down at the fox Naruto leaned himself against the base of the tree and prepared himself for sleep. "Why do all my companions have to be such weirdo's?" He asked no one in particular as he drifted off. He didn't waste time to make sure that the fox was still with him, where would he go? He was just as lost as Naruto.

Some time during the night Naruto felt the presence of the Kyuubi join him on the branch. He even thought he felt the Kyuubi snuggle up to him, but he didn't complain. It was a cold night and he had forgotten his blanket.

* * *

It was early morning , and the sun was just rising above the horizon, its rays breaching the land. In a small apartment in a small village, oh so very small village, a woman was just waking up to a new day.

She was laying in bed curled up in a small little ball, the sheets all around her. Her long blazing red hair spread out covering her face, and along her back. Her closed eyes would reveal deep gray eyes that would blaze with life. The room had a plain coloring of pale blue, besides the bed its inhabitants were a desk, closet, stool, and several mounts of clothes sprawled out all over the floor.

Walking into the room a blonde was just adjusting his dull dark green vest, his hair spiking out in several directions, it looked like a wild mass of yellow, which it was exactly. He leaned over the woman and shook her shoulder gently, trying to get her awake.

"Kushina! Kushina!" He whispered, shaking a little harder when she didn't stir. "Wake up! We gotta go!"

He shook a little harder. "Kush-"

He pulled his head back narrowly avoiding being hit as a fist rushed toward his face, missing only by inches. He smiled as the woman opened her eyes, narrowing them as she laid eyes on him.

"Good morning sleepy-head. How was your little nap?" The blonde asked the woman, leaning over her once more, setting his elbow on the mattress, resting his head on his hands.

Kushina yawned, opening her mouth wide, she raised her hand to cover it. "Pretty good. You?"

The blonde gave her a devilish grin, his blue eyes shining in the sun's first rays through the open window." Oh, it was great! But that is besides the point, you gotta get up. The Hokage wants you, me, and my team to do a scouting mission around the village."

"But I don't wanna." She said, grabbing a handful of sheet and throwing it over herself, curling into a tighter ball.

The blonde sighed. "C'mon Kushina. You gotta do it, the Hokage said so."

From inside the blankets he heard a muffled voice. "Then why don't you become Hokage and then I won't have to do boring stuff like scouting! It's boring as hell and you know it!"

"C'mon Kushina. Until you go back to your village you have been assigned to my team and the missions we are given." The man said again, tugging at the sheets trying to yank them off, but with no avail. He sighed once more.

"If you go then there might be fighting. The reason he wanted both of us was because, one, he wanted my team to get experience, and two, because there have been mysterious nin traveling around the village and near by villages, so he thought you might know something about it."

The man saw the sheets still, then they were abruptly threw into the air, landing on him, momentarily trapping him. He yanked them off to see a blurring figure go into the other room, and only a few moments later Kushina stepped out fully dressed and ready. She was beaming with excitement, ready to go.

"Well then, hurry! Lets go! I don't wanna be late!" She said while walking quickly, grabbing his hand as she passed pulling him along. "C'mon!" The blonde haired man barely remembered to shut the door behind them as he was whisked out of the apartment.

They flew across the rooftops and arrived at the Hokage's office within a few minutes. As they came up to the office door they could feel three familiar chakras within the office along with the Hokage's. Kushina quickly looked at the blonde next to her. It seemed his team was already there. They knocked at the door before entering.

"Come in." Came a voice, which had a scratchy note to it.

The pushed the door opened and walked into the office. The owner of the said voice sat in the chair behind the desk in the very center of the room. The old man wore the traditional hokage wear, hat and all. He had seemed to be in conversation with the others in the room. There in front of his desk were Minato's team of three. In the middle stood the only girl on the team.

She was a small girl, about the average size for someone her age, with violet brown hair that was cut to shoulder length. Her head bang was on her forehead set above bright brown eyes, that looked on with compassion at anyone who needed it. On each side of her face was a bandage-like design(A tattoo! We don't know!) on her cheeks. It went well with her sleeveless black top, equally dark skirt with shorts underneath that stopped at mid thigh. Around her waist was a simple gray apron, which held needed materials for battle and healing. She wore thick boot that went up to her calves. Multiple bracelets ran up her left arm while the other right was left bare except for a fingerless glove that went up to her elbow.

Next to her were tow boys near around the same age, both taller than her figure.

The darker haired one with it spiking everywhere, though not as much as that of the blondes, which seemed as dark as night, stood on her left. He had silver goggles with bright orange lenses strapped to his head above his dark eyes that shined with determination at any challenge. His headband was proudly placed above his goggles where it shined as sunlight hit it. He wore a light colored undershirt with a dark blue jacket, lined with orange, covering it, with its sleeves rolled up. On the back was the Uchiha symbol, as well as many other buttons of silly little icons on the front. Bandages wrapped around both his arms, protecting them from anything rough he would be dealing with, which were covered by a large, light metal bracelets, almost like armor. The only difference was that he had a piece of metal attached to his left hand, like a gauntlet, that also had the Konoha symbol on it. He wore a darker shade of blue, which seemed almost black shorts that stopped right below his knees, a bandage like fabric wrapped around the bottom edge of his right leg, a simple chain hanging from the front of his belt. Covering his feet were regular black sandals, perfect for running long distances. He was smiling as they walked in, showing them his white teeth. Unlike the other Uchiha, he showed a lot more emotion, making sure everyone knew what he thought.

The last boy, shortest of the two, had silver spiky hair. With headband set on his forehead above his black eyes, which rarely showed any emotion. Only half of his face was visibly because of the dark blue mask he wore over his mouth, just starting at the brim of his nose, that continued on as his shirt, which ended right above his elbows. The shoulders of the shirt were lined with a lighter shade of blue. Across his torso was a brown x-shaped strap that connected with a plate of metal in the middle of his chest. Wrapped around his forearms from the start if his wrists to his elbows was the same dark blue material as his shirt that had arm armor attached. Around his waist was brown belt that had pouches connected holding a number of objects, mostly kunai, exploding tags, and daggers. His shorts, also dark, dull blue, stopped right below his knees with pockets, also carrying objects needed for battle. He wore regular sandals and had bandages wrapped around his lowers calves. Like most of the time, he looks bored and impatient, and this was like those times.

They all stood in a straight line, backs straight, heads high, ready for the mission they were about to receive.

They all looked around as the two entered, the old man and two of the three genin smiling while the silver haired kept up his unemotional mask.

"Hello everyone! I have arrived!" Kushina said, announcing her arrival, waving her hands out in front of her, as the blonde behind her shook his head grinning slightly.

The old man chuckled, stacking papers and setting them aside. "Hello there, young Kushina and Minato. We were just waiting on your arrival to discuss why I called you all."

The pair nodded and stepped forward to stand behind the three genin.

"As you all know, there have been a few reports on mysterious nin traveling around the village. All of those reports have given us little, if any, information. The little we have deciphered is that all the sightings are connected with each other and that these are at least jounin level, that is what our sources tell me."

"Wah!? At least jounin!?" The black haired Uchiha exclaimed, immediately shutting up when he caught the eye of his sensei.

Ignoring the outburst the old man continued. "They're mainly seen around the times of late afternoon to midnight. Not only does it seem that they're circling around the village but other villages around as well. If that is the case then they might be preparing to attack our defenses, not only that but maybe targeting other smaller and weaker villages near by. Now we don't want that so I want you five to gather as much information about these 'travelers' as you can and report back here."

Both Kushina and the Uchiha boy seemed to deflate at the idea of only having a scouting mission and they openly rejected.

"C'mon! Why do we have to have a crappy mission like scouting and gathering information! I'd rather be out fighting rogues, at least I'd get to throw punch or two!" Kushina whined.

The black haired boy agreed. "Yeah, this sounds boring! Nothing's gonna happen if we're just gettin' information!"

Both the silver haired boy and the blonde sighed shaking their heads, while the girl just stood there quietly, listening.

The masked boy decided to speak up and try to encourage them somehow just to get them to quit their whining. "You guys do know that we might run into someone who's not friendly and just wants to fight for the fun of it, or that we might get trapped in some way."

The Uchiha looked at him. "Yeah, but the chances of that are pretty low if y-"

"Yes they are low but they're still chances none the less." The masked boy cut in, crossing his arms over his chest, staring at him with bored eyes.

The Uchiha opened his mouth to disagree, but then stopped as he thought about it more. Kushina seemed to as well, since she seemed to ponder over it.

"You've got a point my spiky, pointy haired freak." She turned toward the old man, not seeing the slight twitch of the masked genin's eyebrow. "Can we leave right this instant?" She asked eagerly.

The old man smiled genuinely. "That's what I hoping for. Now you probably won't be gone more than a couple days, four at the most, so you won't need much supplies. Once at the gate of the village you'll find that your stuff is already prepared for your departure. Hurry back now." With that he proceeded to his paperwork, signaling them to take their leave.

They did. Minato walked alongside Kushina, his arm gently brushing hers. "So, you seem excited for this simple mission." It wasn't a question it was a statement.

She laughed. "I don't know, I just seem to be in a cheery mood today. Anyway, at least there actually might be a total stranger who's willing to attack us just for the fun of killing, or that we might get trapped some way or another." She smiled at him, not noticing how crazy she would sound to anyone else other than him.

He laughed lightly. "Cheery mood? It didn't seem like it this morning when you almost punched my head off!" He laughed again as she blushed slightly. She set at a faster pace, but this only made the young blonde laugh more.

As they came to the gate they saw the third's word was true; their supplies were all packed and waiting for them.

"Well, we better be heading off." The blonde told the group while shouldering his pack and setting off toward the forest. The others followed suit.

"Yes! I can't wait to find some stupid ninja's and totally kick their a-Oww!" The black haired boy yelled in pain as a fist collided with his head.

The owner of the fist was the once silent girl. "Don't be so idiotic! If we run into someone we, being genin, won't be a match for them, being at LEAST jounin!" The girl yelled at him.

The boy stopped for a second and groaned. "Then why are we even coming!"

"Are you crazy, you don't know! It's because… because…" She turned toward the two behind them. "Why are we coming again?"

The red headed woman looked at the man next to her, not saying a word. The man sighed once. "Because if there is something urgent to report and one of us is occupied at the moment then we can send one of you three or even all three of you to send the information back to the village. I believe you are all capable to care of yourselves, are you not?" He raised his eyebrow at the last part of the statement.

"Of course sensei!" The brown haired girl replied instantly. She turned toward the boy she had just punched recently, "That's why we are coming."

Kushina chuckled slightly and sped up her pace to lead the group through the trees, the silver haired boy following.

"Okay. Okay. I get it. I still don't think there was any need to punch me though." He said rubbing his head.

"I punched you because your whining is so annoying!"

"I don't see you punching Kakashi when he annoys you! You never punch anyone but me!" He threw back at her.

"First of all, Kakashi never whines at every small little detail of something. Second, well… I have my reason in punching you." She declared without further explanation. She sped up to join Kushina, but not without showing the red blush on her cheeks.(You people do remember that little kids pick on their crush…nuff said)

The Uchiha boy shook his head slightly, "Girls are weird." He turned toward the older man next to him. "Sensei, how do you not get punched everyday? I hear the Kushina has a bigger temper than Rin!"

"Well, it helps not to piss them off everyday." He said with a slight smile. " And if by any chance you do piss them off, then it really helps to know how to dodge."

"In that case it won't help him much, right Obito?" The silver haired boy said. He had been up front between the two females for quite some time as the men were discussing this and came back with no pronounced injury.

Obito scowled at the boy. "How is it that you NEVER get punched?"

"Simply, it's because girls don't scare me like they do you. Also, I never am really in their way when they're angry like you are." He stated simply.

"You know what!? I'd like to see you get punched by a girl so hard that you go flying through a wall or something Kakashi!"

"I highly doubt you will" The masked boy replied.

Minato just laughed as his students continued on bickering.

* * *

_I hate women. _Kakashi thought gloomily. _They're to complicated._

There he was standing in the Hokage's office receiving his mission when the one person he wished would vanish came waltzing in like she owned the place. None other than Anko herself.

She was dressing in what looked like ANBU clothing. She wore grey colored leggings that came right above her knees, a bandage standard wrapped around her right thigh. The grey colored shirt, with sleeves that went to an inch or two above her elbows, was covered by the standard ANBU vest. On her back was medium sized sword that had cloth wrapped around its handle. Instead of her usual headband on her forehead she had a light, small necklace around her neck that held a simple Konoha symbol on its chain. Her deep purple colored hair was set back into her familiar ponytail with its ends sticking out all over the place, although half of it was covered by an animal mask that seemed to be a cat of some sort. She wore a cloak that covered it all, grey of course, hood and all.

Although she was the last person he wanted to see he had to admit she had one heck of a body. Also, being the pervert he was he always saw a good chance to notice a woman's body. Sadly even that didn't welcome the dread that came along with her walking through the accursed door. He didn't think anything would.

She saw him staring at her, and walked straight up to him without hesitation and smacked him across the head.

"What the-!?"

"Stop staring ya' pervert!" She said, raising a threatening fist at him. That was Anko for you, she felt that it was her job to make sure that whenever he did something perverted that she had to scold him like a puppy, either that or she just liked to hit him for fun. Neither was in favor of Kakashi.

He was about to make a sharp comeback like 'I did not!' but the Hokage interrupted him before he could put the words out.

"Before you to start bickering I would like to inform you both of why you're here." She eyed them both, staring at them intently. When they didn't try and attack each other verbally she continued. " Here's the simple fact: I want you, Kakashi, and you, Anko, to go on a mission together."

_Damn. _The silver haired man thought.

"Before either of you can object I want you to think about it. Why would I put the two of you together?"

Kakashi opened his mouth, but hastily closed it catching Anko's eye, knowing she knew that he was about to make a snappy comeback, which he was. None of them spoke.

When the silence reached a full minute Tsunade spoke up. "It's because I trust both of you to put aside your differences and try to cooperate and guaranty the success of this mission. Not only that, but you two are highly qualified to handle this mission. This mission is pretty difficult and important that I don't want to have any reasons of its failure."

Anko's face lit up at the thought of having a difficult mission, she seemed to always like a challenge. He hated that about her. He liked taking it easy, as one would say. "So what's this mission all about?" She asked eagerly, seemingly bouncing on her feet. "I know that we're supposed to be dressed up as ANBU an all, but I just don't know why."

He caught her glancing sidelong at him, he stared at her questionably. "What?"

She just shook her head. "I guess you didn't get the memo. Eh? Isn't that right our little spiky-silver haired freak."

His eye twitched continuously, but she took no notice she just turned toward Tsunade. "So what's this all about?" She asked again.

"This is about Akatsuki sightings near the Mist Village."

Kakashi stiffened at that. _Akatsu-_ "There has been word that they're on the move again. They haven't bother anyone and that had led to the lack of defensive position of villages, but don't count on it for Konoha to be one of them"

Kakashi spoke. "Tsunade you don't think that they might be going for-"

She cut him off. "I'm hoping that they aren't, but sadly we don't know all we can do is hope that he's learned how to defend himself and stay out of sight." There was some sorrow in her eyes, and he knew that there was some shining in his to. She seemed to slide that problem aside. "But that is beside the point! I want you two to investigate and find out any information of their doings. Do I make myself clear?"

Both Anko and himself nodded. "Yes Hokage." They said together.

"Another thing is that I want you both to wear ANBU outfits so that no one will pay as much attention to you, if they see you. To Akatsuki and other dangerous nin you'll just be plain ANBU sent on a mission to guard an important noble or something along the line, but in fact you'll be guarding no one, you'll have to scout around and search during the night though, or else people will wonder why you're not doing what normal ANBU do. If there is a definition of normal actions a ninja CAN do. But beside the point people will wonder and think what you are up too and we don't want that do we."

Anko nodded. "That makes sense." She turned to Kakashi and eyed him, Tsunade did as well. He was glad that he wore a mask, they couldn't see the blush forming on his cheeks. "You'll have to make sure no one, not even one person, sees you face."

Tsunade nodded. "Your dad wasn't just famous in the Sand. A lot of people will hate you just because you look so much like him. I want you to wear your mask at all times, only when you're sure no one is around that you take it off."

He opened his mouth his mouth to say he hardly takes it off as it is, but of course Anko cut him off again asking a question that was also on his mind.

"When are we leaving?"

"Immediately." Tsunade replied. "Shizune!" She called out, practically yelled.

They heard hurried shuffles and suddenly a face popped through the door, or rather two. It was Shizune's and her little pig.

"Yes Hokage?" She huffed out.

"Prepare these two with the supplied that they'll need for their mission, also, get Kakashi his ANBU uniform will you?"

The black haired woman nodded. "Yes ma'am." With that her head disappeared from the door, and they could here more frantic shuffling getting further and further away.

Tsunade smiled, setting her elbows upon the desk intertwining her fingers together. "Hurry up you two and come back safe will ya'."

"Yes ma'am." They said together, bowed and took their leave.

Closing the door behind them Anko turned toward Kakashi and set her hands on her hips, looked at him and pursed her lips thoughtfully. H raised one eyebrow.

"Okay then, here's how it goes. You and me do this mission, nothing goes wrong, it's over, then we never encounter each other again?… How's that?"

He shrugged. 'That's just fine with me. I don't want to do this as much as you do."

She narrowed her eyes, he could tell that she was about to reply to that, but thankfully Shizune came scurrying toward them. Holding two packs, a pig, and full set of ANBU uniform she looked frantic. All of this aside from working at the hospital she must have a stressful living.

Anko quickly took the stuff from her, allowing her to get a better hold of her pig so it wouldn't fall to the ground. "Here, let me take those out of your hands."

Kakashi was pretty surprised at her kindness towards Shizune. _Huh. I guess she only hates me with all her guts… Who knew._

Shizune made a little sort of bow. "Thank you. I'm very grateful, I have so much stuff to do today I don't think I can handle anymore."

"Why don't you tell Tsunade?" He asked. He knew that she wouldn't stand that her own assistant was going through so much work that would surely kill her through the amount of stress it was causing her.

Shizune looked around and then to the door that led to Tsunade's office. " Well the truth is that it's not all my work. Most of it is Tsunade's, but since she's got so much to do with her paperwork, the travelers, and the other villages I thought I'd give her more time to finish her old work and catch up."

Anko frowned. "If that's the case then get someone else to help you, just because you're helping Tsunade doesn't mean you have to do I all by yourself. When we come back I better not see you doing all this be yourself or else heads will be rolling."

Shizune blushed. "It's all ri-"

"No it's not! I'm serious you'd better have help when I come back!"

Kakashi spoke in for Shizune's sake. "Shizune," She turned toward him. "why don't you get Sakura or Ino to help you out? They'd gladly help don't you think?"

Shizune brightened up immediately. "You're right! Thanks!" With that she hurried elsewhere to find two certain medic ninja.

He turned away from her fading figure to see Anko staring at him again, that was getting quite irritating.

"What!?"

She shook her head then threw the clothes and pack at him not bothering to see if he caught them, which he did, and walked off slinging her pack onto her back. "Meet you in the front when you're done and ready."

Again he felt a wave of irritation wash over him, and he found himself wanting her to vanish right then and there, but sadly she wouldn't.

_I hate women, really I do._ He thought. _They're so complicated._

Without another thought he went and got dressed for his awaiting nightmare.

* * *

**Author's comments:**

**Hey yall! Sorry for the wait on the chapter and everything. Me and my sis have just been to busy!**

**Okay just to clear things up. Kakashi and Anko hate each others guts. Kasha being the pervert he is and Anko being the hot tempered person she is. Well, as you can see they don't get along very well. My sis wanting this to be the pairing involving them, so here it is! :D**

**Hope you guys liked the chapter! If you guys have any sugestions, tell us! **

**Also… REVIEW! Me and my sis would greatly appreciate it if ya guys reviewed! Tell us what you like, tell us what you hate, and etc. So, PLEASE REVIEW! It would be oh so kind of you.**

**Please share your thoughts! :D So…off I go to work on the next chapter! Adios!**


	8. Chapter 8

Naruto turned over in his sleep, falling off the branch he was laying on in the process. It hurts falling from a branch at least fifteen feet off the ground.

"OOF!" He landed on his head, which broke his fall, with a loud thud. He rubbed his head which felt thicker than it usually was. "Okay, ow…"

He heard snoring of some sort, looking he saw the Kyuubi spread out all across the branch, on his back, mouth opened wide, small snot bubbles coming out his nose. He didn't know if demons could look really stupidly, but this was as close as one could get.

"Frickin' lazy ass." He muttered. Checking the sky he found that it was about mid-morning. The air was crisp, the grass all around had late morning dew, and all was silent. No animals were about. They were all scared of the Kyuubi Almighty, who was currently blowing snot bubbles.

He made sure to check he hadn't injured something in his fall. He listed them all down. Two feet, two arms, back, chest, hands, head, two eyes, two ears, nose, claws, two more ears, nine tails…Wait.

He mentally went through the list again touching each limb as said. He came to the near end of his list.

"Two more ears…?" he reached to the top of his head, feeling for what he was dreading. His fingers touched something bushy, not his hair, it was to furry. It was another pair of ears, but not human ears, oh no, they were cat-ish or maybe even fox-ish. He knew they were pointy if he felt toward their tips, he also knew they were attached because he could feel their roots.

The wind blew slightly rustling the leaves around, he picked up every sound, his ears twitching from one angle to another.

_I have fox ears…_ He thought numbly. Suddenly he heard something brush behind him with a soft _fwoosh_, his ears darting back toward the source. He turned his head slowly to look behind him to see his nine tails swaying against the wind. All bright orange-red with a darker colored red tingeing the tips they seemed to look lazy as they swayed. He guessed that the ears were the same. _…And tails._

He looked down at his hand, flexing his now clawed fingers. His nails were already longer than they needed to be before, even if he decided to bite them, they just kept growing back, but now they seemed to curved a little in like an animals would.

The full impact of it all hit him in a second. H had claws, fox ears, and tails just like the Kyuubi. The Kyuubi…

"WAKE UP YA' LAZY ASS!" He shouted to the branch above, not caring if his voice echoed. "WAKE UP NOW!"

He saw with new precision the fox raise his sleepy head to look down at him. He yawned sleepily.

"**What?"**

"Can't you see?!" Naruto pointed to his dairy-air at the nine tails that sprouted out, and then to the set of ears atop his head. The Kyuubi just blinked.

"**I don't see anything wrong ya' dirty leaf."** He said setting his head down once more and closing his eyes. Naruto didn't stand for that. He raised his clawed hand, closed it into a tight fist, and punched the tree as hard as he could muster.

As it turned out that was more than enough. Although he didn't have Tsunade's or Sakura's super-strength it surprised his when the whole tree shook with shivers. Its whole being quaked, although it didn't break into pieces, he would expect that since its size, many of the leaves fell to the ground while the bark of the branches started to loosen.

The Kyuubi fell with a start only to land on his feet expertly, turning in mid-fall.

_Even when he's half asleep. _Naruto thought.

For a second he just stood there and stared at the blonde, then he erupted into laughter. The laugh itself had a maniacal edge to it that made the blonde shiver involuntarily.

"**You sure showed that tree who's boss, huh?"** The Kyuubi chuckled out.

"What?"

The fox ignored him, instead he just stared at him a while then asked.** "Did you do something with you hair?"**

Naruto gaped at him. "What the HELL?! Do you not see the ears?! Or the TAILS?! TAILS!" He pointed to the tails again in exasperation.

The Kyuubi wasn't paying attention anymore even though it hadn't even been a minute. Instead he was up against the tree, clawing at it.

**Oh. My. LORD! This is so fun! You should totally try it, it sharpens your claws so easily!" **He clawed up the trunk, stretching his back like a cat.

Naruto stared. "What is wrong with you?! You're so… Loopy."

The Kyuubi still wasn't listening, instead clawed even more. Just as he was about to claw off a huge piece of bark Naruto came in and grabbed him by the scruff and yanked him away from the tree.

"**Hey! I was doin' something! I was about to thank you for waking me up so that I could do that, but now you can just forget about it!"**

"I said what the-" He stopped short and looked at the fox. 'Were you just about to say thank you?" he asked incredulously.

"**I WAS, but now I don't think I will. You, my friend, are being an ass." **With that the Kyuubi turned his head and started to refuse to look at the blonde.

Naruto just stared. The Kyuubi _never_ said 'Thank you.' Never. He was being the rude one and the fox was saying thank you? The was just going against nature now. What shocked him even more was the fact that the Kyuubi said 'My friend', how was that even in the demons vocabulary?

"There _is_ definitely something wrong with you." Naruto stated. "You're acting just like Shukaku did when he… Shit! I shoulda known." he smacked his palm to his forehead.

The Kyuubi getting over his five second hate looked at the whiskered boy with strange eyes. **"You think something's wrong with me?! What?! Is it that I'm ugly?! I am aren't I?!"**

"No! Where'd you get that from!" Naruto exclaimed. "How should I know if a demon's ugly or not?!"

"**I hate you! You piece of dirty leaf! Take me home."**

"How can I do that?! I don't even know where we are! Besides, you live inside my head stupid!"

"**Why are you yellin'? You're hurting my ears. Why do we always have to fight?"** The Kyuubi seemed to be going through many mood swings, flashing from one emotion to another in seconds.

"Okay, now you're just goin' crazy." Naruto made sure to keep a hold on the Kyuubi's scruff so that the little demon wouldn't try to brake free and do something they both might regret.

"**I love you too buddy."** The Kyuubi said in response, which surprised Naruto. He didn't know the fox could actually say the word 'love,' let alone think it. Suddenly the Kyuubi twisted in his hands, Naruto wasn't prepared for this so his grip slipped allowing the demon to free himself.

Once the Kyuubi landed on the ground he turned immediately to Naruto and launched himself at the boy, knocking him to the ground. Naruto then found himself in one of the most awkward positions in his life. Just as he thought the fox had already gone crazy he the demon started to rub his head against his chest.

"What the-?" Naruto could do nothing but gape at the Kyuubi no Kitsune who was now snuggling against him. The thought of one of the most frightened of beast snuggling against someone, let alone himself, was out of mind until it was actually happening.

From the depths of his coat came the Kyuubi's voice. **"I was so worried when I couldn't find you yesterday! Where were you?! I looked everywhere!"**

Naruto couldn't find the word at first and when he did he didn't know how to say them. "Umm… Well, you see… I got lost… Eh, hehe…"

The Kyuubi raised his head to meet the kids eyes, who was surprised to see that they held some anger in them. **"Oh, so you just got 'lost' did ya'? You had me worried my furry ass of and you were out being 'lost'?! Bull!"** Even while he was speaking did he release his claws out, digging them into Naruto's shirt. The blonde yelped and roughly pushed the fox off.

"What the hell?!" Naruto picked himself up off the ground, brushing off the dirt. He vaguely noticed that his tails swooshing was dusting off his back for him without him meaning to.

_Great._ He thought. _I have my own personal sweeper._

Looking at the Kyuubi he saw that the fox was crouched low to the ground, tail lashing from side to side, hackles raised, ears pulled back, ready to attack.

"**You deserve to be taught a lesson! You never let someone, let alone me, worry about your little sorry ass! I'm not goin' through this shit again!"**

Naruto was down right confused, also slightly pissed. "C'mon! Why can't you just be loopy like Skukaku was, but, oh no! You had to an emotional dickhead!"

All he got as a reply was a snarl. Naruto pulled his ears back, and bared his teeth letting out a growl of his own, as if on instinct. The sound itself stopped him short, as well as the movements. He had no time to ponder over it as the Kyuubi launched himself at him.

As he rushed toward him the Kyuubi grew in size, well, it seemed like that in Naruto's point of view. From a size of a small simple house cat to the huge bulk of that of a grown Alfa male wolf. His teeth grew larger as well, not only that but also his claws, both sharpening. His eyes grew in size but stayed the same, angry and unpredictable.

Naruto instinctively positioned himself in a low crouch, feet spread shoulder-width, arms out, hands open with their claw-like nails ready. Even his tails stopped swaying, all stiffened and fluffed up. He tensed his body preparing for the impact.

It came hard and fast. It felt like a boulder running at you with all the power the attack held. The Kyuubi immediately went for his throat, bearing both his teeth and claws.

Naruto knew exactly that he was going to aim their, being bonded with the demon and all, and used it to his advantage. He expertly avoided the Kyuubi's claws, pushing the fox's muzzle up by his lower jaw with his right hand. His left forearm he used to push the fox's forelegs against the demons own body.

Not only did he know what the Kyuubi was about to do but vice versa. The fox slacked for a moment then writhed his body so that the boy would loosen his grip. His plan worked. Naruto slackened his hold surprised by the fox allowing the demon to push against his chest knocking him down again, bringing the fox with him.

They landed in a pile, Naruto still pushing the Kyuubi's muzzle while the fox pushed the blonde to the ground. It was hard for either to breathe, forcing them both to relax, allowing the other to take in a breath of air. As soon as that happened they began to wrestle, raising dirt and leafs everywhere.

If anyone had been there at that moment they would've seen an odd sight, a boy with tails and ears holding a fox triple its normal size in a headlock, who had its own nine tails wrapped around the boys body. It would've been and oddly sight indeed.

Naruto growled. "I'm sorry I have to do this but-well, actually I'm not at al sorry."

He wriggled free of the Kyuubi's tails and pushed the demon roughly. The fox rolled a few times only to quickly use the momentum to spring to his feet ready to jump at the blonde again. Second to late.

Naruto jumped lightly into the air only and foot or two above the fox. He gather as much chakra as he afforded to, without damaging the surrounding area, and aimed a downward kick at the Kyuubi's head.

_BOOM!_

* * *

Kushina sat down on the lone stump heavily, sighing. She had been ordered to stay on that pitiful stump in their camp until the others went on ahead. She also had been ordered to clean up the remains of their camp, which she had openly showed her distaste to. She hated this kind of work, give her a kunai and she'll fight, but this is what passes into boring work in her standards.

She pouted to herself. She got off the stump and took the packs that they had brought for their journey and packed their sleeping bags in them and the food they hadn't consumed during the night here. She stamped the fire a few more times, harder than usual, and covered it with dry, brown leaves and dumped the packs at the ground next to the pathetic stump.

They had made good time in searching the areas around the village boundaries for those mysterious nins. Although, they had caught no sign of them, they had found unusual features in the forest. Such as the red stain in a white patch of lilies that Kushina know to absorb moonlight to live. They also had found strange claw marks on some of the tree trunks surround the path, ranging in size; some of the marks to be only a few inches long as other were feet in length. Very unusual indeed. That is what the others were investigating now while she sit there and cleanup!

She humped and whined to herself about the stupid work she had to put up with as her teammates get to running through the forest. She was just about to sit on the stump once more and complain when all of a sudden the ground shook violently. With it came and very earsplitting _BOOM!_

"What the hell!?" She yelled as she fell backward, landing on her butt. She heard multiple deafening cracks and didn't even have to look around to know that there were more than one tree on the ground. She used the stump to help herself up as the shaking stopped and noticed the large splint in the very center of it.

She looked over to were she had heard the most of the large noise and saw smoke arising from the forest covering that section of the land.

"Hmmm… Well… I think that qualifies as something exciting. Awww… But I have to stay here on orders." She frowned and looked around carefully. "No one is around to order me. I do believe that that area over there needs to be scouted and that is apart of my mission." With saying so she heads off toward the explosion.

* * *

Minato started as he heard the explosion. He looked toward the direction of the blast, blinking as a gust of wind slammed into him face. Covering his face his cursed. He turned toward his team, who were crouched above a rather large scrape on the trunk of the tree they were perched on, and motioned for them.

'C'mon. Lets hurry." Then without anymore he launched off the branch he stood on to another a few feet away, then to another and another. They followed without a word of hesitation close behind.

It didn't even take them five minutes to get to their camp where all the supplies lay, the only thing was that one thing was missing. Kushina.

Minato did a quick scan around them. "Damn." He sighed, rubbing his temples. "This always happens whenever she attends mission. It happened then, and even now."

Rin, Kakashi, and Obito arrived in that order to see the abandoned camp. Instantly Kakashi raised his hand to Obito, rubbing his fingers together he said. "Pay up."

Obito shoved his hand away. "No! I said under three minutes! It hasn't been over! She left the camp a while ago!"

"Yes she probably did, but we came and confirmed it only just now. We came here a few seconds later than three minutes so technically I won." Kakashi held up his hand again motioning with his fingers once more. "Pay up."

Rin looked at them both confused. "What are you guys talkin' about?"

"We made a bet to see how long Kushina could last without leaving camp and going off somewhere." Kakashi explained, he motioned to Obito again. "I won, pay up."

Grumbling Obito shoved his hand into his pocket coming out with some money, he shoved it into Kakashi outstretched hand. "Dickhead." He muttered.

Kakashi paid no attention to him as he was busy counting his newly earned money. He looked as Minato spoke.

"We're going to have to look for her. We'll split into pairs, Kakashi, you and Obito, go and search toward the area on the right side of the explosion. Rin, you and me will search toward the area on the left side of it. She most likely went to the blast, that we can be sure of."

"Hai sensei." They all said, although Obito and Kakashi had sour looks, but neither pronounced any objections.

"Alright. Now let's head out." With that they blurred and set off in different directions.

* * *

Naruto coughed as the dust cleared. He covered his nose with a sleeve and slowly walked toward where he most likely thought the Kyuubi was.

As the dust cleared what he saw made him gasp in surprise. There in front of him was a enormous crater at least twenty feet wide and fifteen feet deep. From what he observed the only place that looked like it escaped the damage of his attack was the area surrounding it. No trees were scathed, though sandy smooth, but tree father away seemed to have been knocked out of their roots.

"Holy shi-" Naruto started as he heard something, it came from the center of the crater. Looking into it he could see a blur of red as a figure emerged and shook debris from its pelt. As the dust cleared more and more he could clearly tell that that blurred figure was the Kyuubi.

The demon looked to be unharmed, though a little ruffled from the explosion of his kick. He shook his head from side to side as if he were warding off some kind of fly. As soon as he heard Naruto his snapped toward him, red eyes glaring with annoyance.

"**What. The. Hell."** The fox said through clenched teeth. **"Why did you frickin' hit me on the head like that!?"**

For a moment Naruto just stared at the fox, who still glared at him for an explanation, with a face that plainly said 'Are you kidding me?'

"**Well?" **The Kyuubi asked impatiently. He hadn't move an inch from the spot where he'd been hit, which was right dab in the middle of the crater. He was a big as a large alpha-male wolf, maybe even bigger. Although for his size he looked small compared to it, minimizing him and doubling its actual size.

"D-don't… You remember?" The blonde asked.

The Kyuubi growled. **"What do you mean? I wake up to find that you've kicked me into the ground using my own chakra against me, without my permission my I might add."** The fox seemed pissed.

"I did not!" He received a all-out stare. "Okay, maybe I used a little-but not voluntary! It was for self defense! If a gigantic fox with claws and teeth, power beyond those of others, was intent on attacking you what would you do?!? Anyway, most of it was mine so there." He stuck out his tongue like a small child.

"**That's a sucky answer! Where's a giant fox gonna pop up!?"** The Kyuubi growled. **"Now that's just unrealistic."**

"Why are you so stupid?" Naruto slid down the slope of sand into the crater. The noticed that the sand and dirt under his feet felt so soft that he might just fall through it. His feet sank into it once or twice as he walked toward the Kyuubi. "Who else is a fox that has enough power to attack and kill me? Let alone enjoy it. Hmmm. Let me think.. YOU!"

The Kyuubi chuckled. **"Yeah, that does sound somewhat like me. I'm proud I did that, even unconsciously."**

Naruto frowned and then both of fell into silence. That is until the young blonde screamed out with delight. "Hey, look the tails and ears are gone! Yipee! I'm not a freak!"

"**Ewww… now you look ugly. Those tails gave you dignity and now that their gone, well, you're back to you again. How depressing." **Naruto just ignored those unnecessary comments.

"So, what do we do now?" Naruto asked.

* * *

Kushina raced through the forest, leaping from tree to tree, heading toward the explosion. It wasn't hard to locate because there was a large cloud of dust hovering over one particular spot of forest, the only cloud in the sky.

Every sign told her to head back and stay away from it. Besides that the fact that more and more she got closer she saw that more and more trees were titled or else on the grounds, there was another. She could see no animals about, if any. The birds stayed quiet, the ground animals stayed grounded, and even predators stayed inside their dens.

All except one. She saw a flash of orange and red as she leaped by, barely getting a glance at the creature. She wanted to turn and see what kind of animal would bother to stay out when all the prey was inside their dens and borrows hiding, but she didn't chance it in case she ran into a tree or the sort. Instead she just headed for the cloud of dust.

She hadn't gone to far when she noticed with surprise that the trees around her were no longer on the ground or tilted in odd angles, instead they were face perfectly, though sandy smooth. Even the bushes looked like nothing had encountered them at all, not even a blast of wind. Everything looked perfectly normal.

_Huh?_ This was weird. Did she enter a whole different universe? It wasn't possible but at that moment it seemed the most logical. She leaped from the branch where'd she stopped to the ground. She stood silently and listened for something-anything that was out there.

After a minute or so she vaguely caught a sound of something. It was coming from the unscathed part of the forest, and it sounded like… She strained her ear in confusion. Arguing.

_Again, huh? _Who would be arguing? Especially in the middle of a forest, no less. She thought who it could be, then it hit her. _This could be those mysterious ninja that the old weezer was talking about. But he said that they come near around midnight… Why are they out at this time?_ She couldn't just stand here while they go on arguing. They could spill valuable information that she could use. With that she silently, yet hurriedly, walk toward the source of the sound barely making a sound.

The closer she got to it the more and more she noticed the trees got smoother and smoother. She guessed that the explosion impact must have cause a huge gust of sand to come this way, smoothing the rough bark of the trees. She was slightly amazed of the energy that had to be needed to cause the huge wind to make the trees this smooth. The amount of power, and control.

She snapped up when she heard, actually stopped hearing the voices up ahead of her. She quickened her pace, still keeping quiet, and inched herself between to trees and ducked behind a thick bush. Peeking up she gasped at what she saw.

There held a clearing with a humongous crater right dab in the middle of it. Smoke still drifted in the air, like a brown, thick fog. Surrounding the clearing the trees were exactly the same as the ones she'd seen. Sanded smooth. That wasn't what shocked her the most.

Standing in its center was a wolf-sized fox. Well, that's how big it looked like to her, although the sand still slightly blurred her vision. Its color was blood-red, with tinges of orange and black. Its teeth, which jutted out beneath its upper lip were white as ivory, as were his claws. Eyes gleaming with a red, savage, violent delight which definitely screamed 'male.' Its nine tails swaying in the wind, twitching with irritation. All its focus seemed to be directed on something a few feet in front of it. Kushina squinted.

There! She saw it, a figure of some sort. Her eyes focused on it, trying to describe it. It was tall, she could easily tell that. Taller than her. With a jolt she realized that it was a human, a man. The sand cleared a little. She saw a flash of yellow, well, it was more bleached than yellow. The man's hair covered his eyes, shadowing his eyes and most of his face. From what she saw he was talking to the fox, who looked like it was getting more and more irritated.

Now she was really confused. _Why would a man be talking to a fox? Especially one this ferocious looking._ She decided to move in closer, so she could hear what the man was saying.

Crouching lower Kushina slowly moved her right foot slowly and carefully forward. She did the same for the other foot. She repeated this five more times, until she heard a sound that made her freeze.

_SNAP!_

She held her breath. A moment passed. Then another. Slowly she let out her breath, only to suck in another one to make a gasp and jump backwards to dodge the dozen kunai that were aimed at her torso.

She slid as she landed, marking her tracks in the dirt. She automatically put herself in a offensive stand. She never liked to defend herself, it showed weakness. She liked to attack first before others could attack her.

She looked toward the crater just in time to see the man leap into one of the trees on the other side of the clearing, disappearing from sight, with the fox following close behind.

She cursed in frustration. Shooting forward she followed them, crossing the clearing and jumping into the trees after them. She could clearly see them ahead of her. She quickened her stride and was determined to catch the strange pair. The young man didn't seem to notice that she was gaining on them, he seemed content with running at the same speed. However the fox turned his head back to face her, still running he snarled viciously at her. She hesitated, unsure if she should attack the man with the fox looking her way. It might attack her if it cared about the safety of the man, which it probably did seeing as it followed him without hesitation. She shook her head. _I am Kushina Uzumaki. I'm afraid and uncertain of nothing._

She sped up her pace until she was not even a foot away from the man. Ignoring the fox she lashed out with a kunai at the mans right, away from the fox, only to have the man disappear in a puff of smoke. She cursed again, throwing the kunai at the fox, only to have it also disappear in a puff of smoke.

Stopping in her tracks, standing on a thick branch fifteen feet off the ground, she looked around for any sign of the man and the fox. Suddenly she felt something behind her. Turning her head she only caught a glimpse of the pale yellow before she received a rough kick to her back.

Kushina gasped as her cloned disappeared. "Well, that hurt." She muttered, rubbing her back, wincing.

Kushina spun around, aiming a spinning kick to the stomach of the man who had the nerve to sneak up behind her. The blond swayed back, easily dodging her attack. For the time Kushina saw the man's face. He gasped in surprise, barely ducking his overhead punch, trying to swallow all that she saw.

"M-Minato…?!" She asked, star struck. _It couldn't be._

And yet, that was what her eyes told her. Although he did have some things different about his appearance. Such as the three markings on each side of his cheek. Or that his clothes were different from the ones that she'd seen him earlier. Instead of the regular jounin he wore plain orange shirt, dull grey pants, and a ripped light colored coat that went to just above his ankles. Also, as she'd noticed before, his hair wasn't a regular yellow, but one that had been bleached. Even the air around him was different, it seemed more wilder, and more ferocious.

Then she looked at his eyes. His clear, bright, ocean-blue, eyes. They, had so much determination, compassion, and spirit. Not only that, but they also showed anger and hate. Like they had seen so much that one should never have, not even those who were supposedly strong.

Kushina stood frozen, unable to comprehend what she was seeing. It was like a clone of her Minato, despite the differences.

"M-Minato…Is that you?" She saw the man hesitate, confuse. It seemed that he thought he should remember the name, but he couldn't.

Once getting over the overall shock she stepped forward, reaching out with her, trying to see if he was real and that she could touch him.

Now _he _took a step back.

"W-Who are you?" The man said. His voice, although soft, was gruff. It sounded like he needed to cough, actually more like he was getting ready to growl. Definitely not like Minato's, who's always sounding calm and controlled even when angry.

She knew then that it wasn't Minato, even with all the similarities this man and him shared. Her jaw tightened and she closed all emotion from her face. She ignored his question and stated her purpose. "I am here to collect some information and it seems like you would be a good source to get them."

The man seemed to take in her stoic expression and smirked slightly, with some amusement showing in his eyes. She quietly fumed to herself; she did not like being laughed at.

"Information?" The man laughed. She gritted her teeth. How dare he laugh at her! A respectable ninja of the Whirlpool Village. "I have no idea what your talking about." She heard a growl like bark, she looked over the man shoulder slightly and saw the giant fox-like creature. Even the fox seemed to be on the 'joke'. That bark she heard seemed to be the fox's way of laughter; its mouth opened wide showing all its canines, sparkling in the light.

"If you know what's good for you than you will come with me without any trouble and…" The man cocked his head to the side as she continued. "tell me all you know of the recent attacks called of the nearest villages."

His face took on a bemused expression now. "Attacks?"

"Yes, attacks!" She said it as if she was talking to someone extremely stupid. She wasn't completely wrong,

"Attacks." The man mumbled to himself as if Kushina wasn't there. "Did those bastards follow me? How? I don't even know what happened myself… I bet they did this themselves just to get at me… But why not get Gaara too? He was Shukaku with him… maybe they wanted us one at a time… Hmmm… this is getting very interesting fast." With that he suddenly turned around and walked away from her.

Kushina just stood there for a moment not sure what had just happened. They had fought for a second, then they had talked about attacks and now he was just walking away. _Oh HELL no! _

"Hey!" She grabbed his shoulder before he could make another step. "Where do you think your going?!"

The blonde paused in his speech and looked at her with surprise. "Oh… I'm going to the bathroom. When you gotta go, you gotta go." He smiled big at her for an instant then continued on, moving her arm off his shoulder.

"Oh no you don't!" She practically yelled. "You're to suspicious to be let out roaming the area. Your coming with me slime ball."

"Slime ball? I haven't heard that one before. Hmmm… pretty creative actually. No thank you though. I'm kind of busy at the moment." He took another step forward and jumped instinctively as she jumped in front of him, kunai in hand.

"I don't think you understood me. I didn't ask, I ordered."

"Oh…" He blinked. "Oh… I see. You are to 'take me prisoner' as they say?" He blinked again as he suddenly smile at her. It wasn't the cheerful and goofy smile he had before, but a smile full of joy at a game. The kind of smile you see of a fox before he kills its prey.

Speaking of foxes she looked over to her right to see the blood red fox crawling toward her with the same kind of smile engraved on its face. She trembled without thought, but held her ground.

"I know!" He grinned wider. "If you can catch us I will come with you quietly and tell you everything I know on what you wanna know. If _WE _catch you, you tell us everything we wanna know. It will be like a game!" He looked at her expectantly. She just stood there; no one she had to face ever treated situations like this, as if they were a game. She didn't know what to do so she just nodded. If possible he grinned even wider and turned toward the animal next to him. "Ready to go furball?! It's will be just like old times! Either running for our lives or fighting for our lives."

The fox had stopped in its path toward her and was giving her that unforgiving smile. She looked at it coldly as it showed her its teeth and barked with its growl-laughter.

Kushina breathed in a deep breath of air. "What are the rules?."

The man looked at her seemly puzzled. "Huh?"

"What. Are. The. Rules." She asked once more. If she was going to play this so-called 'game,' then she might as well know the rules. If she knew them then she could one thing to assure her win: cheat. "If we're gonna play, we're gonna play right."

"Oh." Both the man and the fox grinned at her sly fully. While the man's seemed more joking, the fox's seemed more murderous. "Wonderful! Okay, first rule: There are no rules! You go first and try and find us!"

"Wait, wha-!?"

"Okay, go!" Immediately he vanished with a blur. As did the fox, to Kushina's dismay.

"Dammit!" She yelled. Launching herself tree to tree, feeling for his chakra. She did this for five minutes, with no avail. As those minutes passed her anger build, until finally.

"DAMMIT! DAMMIT! DAMMIT!" She threw her fist at the nearest tree, destroying it.

"Well, that tree had a sad ending." A voice said behind her.

Kushina whipped around. Coming face to face with… No one. _Dammit._

Now that the man was gone and she was no longer staring at him she could think clearer. Seeing the blonde look so much like Minato was kind of scary on her part. She had to say, it freaked her out. And now that she was alone she remember one thing. She was a horrible tracker. Terrible.

Minato always laughed at her whenever she tried to track something or someone. Plainly said, she totally sucked in that category.

"Why the FUCK did I agree to this!?!"

"Agree to what?.."

"Huh?" Kushina whirled around again, this time facing two ninjas. She sighed in relief. "Kakashi! Obito! I'm glad you're here!"

"Well, I'm glad you're glad I'm here!" Obito said cheekily. "I mean, who wouldn't be glad to see me?"

"The entire female population." Kakashi smirked under his mask. "Excluding Kushina and your mother, that is."

Obito grew red under his goggles. "Kakashi you-!"

He stopped short when all of them were overcame with a large amount of chakra that washed over them like a wave. The source was so huge that it was impossible to tell where it came from. The two genin shuddered.

Kushina smile ruefully, "Found the bastard." Just as she was going to run off in a random direction hoping it was the right one, Obito stopped her.

"Where in the hell are you going?" He sounded concerned, eyes darting all about them.

"What does it look like. I'm going to find the bastard and his freakin' fox. I've got to win this damn game." She answered as if it was obvious.

Kakashi lifted an eyebrow. "You know who's chakra signature that was?"

"Of course I know. I met the bastard but then he ran of saying something about finding him or something. So now I have to find him and that bloody fox of his! Oh fuck that fox! It's laugh was so damn creepy."

Obito blinked and shared a look with Kakashi. "So let me get this straight. You met the guy who made that extremely large and dangerous chakra supply and with his fox, which laughed at you. Then he told you to play hide-n-seek with him? So then you started punching trees?"

"Yes."

Kakashi grabbed her elbow as Obito took hold of her other one. "Come on, Minato is worried sick and is kinda mad that you didn't listen to orders…Which you never do, but… " He shrugged. "You can tell him about your… hide-n-seek playmate…I guess."

Kushina heard the sarcastic tone in his voice, Obito's too. They didn't believe her! She fumed. "You don't believe me!"

Obito quickly shook his head. "No, no. We do! It's just that you're making it hard to accept it."

Kakashi agreed with a grunt and they guided her toward the way they came. "Then how can you explain the burst of chakra we felt! It had to be someone's! Plus when isn't it hard for you to believe that I met a stranger in this damn forest!" Kushina huffed.

"Well, Minato-sensei told us that in the past you made up stories whenever you go off on your own to save your butt. He also mentioned that last time you even told everyone you stopped an invasion by having to ditch a meeting with a council and getting a bowl of ramen. I'm not sure you got through that one, but it's beyond me." Kakashi pushed her in front of him, roughly but gently.

"B-But-" Kushina stammered. _Damn, didn't that bite me in the butt._

"No buts, we're going back to Rin and Minato-sensei. They're already waiting for us." Kakashi stated simply. Kushina complained loudly, but she let them drag her away.

* * *

Shikamaru yawned. He had just come back from his latest mission, leaving him tired and worn out. He just felt like sitting down and watching the clouds, maybe smoking a cigarette or two.

_Life is to troublesome._ He thought lazily. _Hopefully it'll calm down soon._

Sadly fate wouldn't let it so for as soon as those thoughts popped into his head he felt a presence walking toward him from behind. He tensed for a second then relaxed, although he didn't turn as he greeted the young man. "Hey, I didn't know you were now Tsunade's messenger, eh Konohamaru."

"Yeah, doesn't matter what 'ya call me. The old hag just wants to discuss something with you." The boy said without any emotion.

"How troublesome." Shikamaru mumbled after a long sigh. He remembered when the boy used to be so active, so filled with spirit, reminding him of a very loud blonde he knew. But times change and so do people. He started toward the tower; he turned his head slightly to the right. "You comin'?"

"Got nothing better to do." Was his emotionless answer. He followed after the pineapple-haired ninja,.

The lazy ninja nodded once as they continued on their path. He glanced behind him at the Hokage mountain, studying the past and present faces. Konoharmaru did as well, forming the now rare smile on his lips.

"So Naruto," Shikmaru said to no one in particular. "do you have anything to do with what's going to happen soon?"

Konoharmaru smirked, hiding half his face in the dark blue scarf around his neck. "Let's not put it past him."

* * *

Kakashi shifted in his ANBU outfit, slightly uncomfortable._ Never thought I'd wear this again. _He thought starting to get lost in his thoughts, only to snap back out as he received a wack on the back of the head.

"Focus 'ya pervert!" Anko snapped. Kakashi frowned under his mask, eyebrow twitching.

_Pervert? What was I doing perverted?!_ _Just for that I'm gonna think perverted thoughts about you!_ The silver haired man thought smugly.

He received another smack, this one harder than the other.

"OW!"

"That's for thinking of me that way!" Anko crossed her arms, scowling at him.

Kakashi sweat dropped. _Can she read minds!?!_

Anko shook her head pitifully. "No I can't read minds 'ya dummy! I can easily tell when a pervert like yourself is thinking those kind of thoughts!"

_Is that even possible._

The sharingan gave a little cough. "So… Where to?"

Anko stared at him like he was an idiot. "Did you even pay attention! At all!"

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "No, I didn't pay attention at all. I never listen to what people say!" He said sarcastically, earning his another smack. Raising his hands he continued on, trying to piss her off. "You caught me. I was looking at your body through out the whole thing!"

_Mission accomplished._

People through out the cities heard the big blast as a specific ninja went through three walls, five doors, and seven windows. They all heard the loud groan of pain as the Copy ninja landed and all felt sympathy toward him. One would think someone would have stopped to find out if he was okay, but everyone knew that he was going to be fine in a couple of seconds. Every citizen and ninja continued on with their normal lives as if nothing had happened. Truth be told, no one want to feel Anko's wrath when she found out you help the so-called victim. It was an average day in Konoha.

* * *

Naruto looked down from the branch he was perched on as the two genin took the red haired woman in the opposite direction. He looked to his right and spotted the Kyuubi crouched over a dead rabbit. _Poor thing. _He felt sympathy toward anything that became Kyuubi's prey, as he could relate.

"Are you done?" He asked with some disgust as he saw the fox devour bits of the animal viciously. The Kyuubi growled in response and finished the think in one gulp.

"**Don't be impatient boy." **The fox seemed to be annoyed too. **"I was hoping for some sort of entertainment today. But thanks to you and your incompetence we got nothing."**

Naruto didn't say anything to defend himself but kept his eyes locked on where the three ninja's had disappeared to.

The mass of fur hissed at the boy. **"What are you staring at! You blast our chakra while they were talking, making them aware of the hunt and then you pester me to hurry my first meal since I was sealed inside your pathetic body!"**

The blonde tore he eyes away from already gone figures and looked the fox straight in the eye. Dead serious. "Did you see who they were?"

The Kyuubi could see that the kit was in no kidding mood and nodded. **"Of course I did. I'm not blind."**

The boy nodded and once again was distracted with his own thoughts. To bad for him the Kyuubi could hear all those thoughts.

"**Oh, I see. You finally have realized what has happened to us. You are quite slow, I realized once I saw the woman."**

Naruto snapped his attention back to the fox once those words left his mouth. He opened his mouth, about to say something but shook his head instead. "Who were they?"

The demon laughed at the boy. **"You're afraid to even mention what has happened? What's wrong boy, are you getting weaker?" **The demon laughter grew louder as the boy snarled at him. As his chuckles grew quieter, he grew more serious. **"Come now. I won't be the one to say it. You must. Say it now."**

Naruto shifted uncomfortably on the branch. He knew what the fox was talking about but didn't want to be the one to say. He sighed, someone had to say it. "Kakashi-sensei…"

"**Ah… yes, that was your dear sensei. Your eyes aren't fooling you. And just for the record the other boy was a Uchiha, in case you didn't notice." **He confirmed Naruto's thoughts in just a few quick sentences.

"Kakashi-sensei was… a genin." Naruto all but whispered. To this the giant fox didn't answer, there was no need to confirm it, they had both seen it. "If that was Kakashi as a kid then…we are…we're…" He gulped loudly, "in the past."

A shiver went down his spine. He looked over to the fox and saw that he was as calm as night itself. He set his jaw and cleared all emotion from his mind. Life of fighting for survival had taught him to stay calm in situations like this and he wasn't going to lose it. The fox saw the change and lifted up a paw and pounded in into the ground for the man's attention. He got it.

"**What do you plan to do now, boy?"**

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

**Very proud of this very long chapter. We think it's the longest chapter we have made yet. =} Boooya! **

**Okay, people we would greatly appreciate it if you…. REVIEWED!!!**


	9. Chapter 9

Naruto grumbled to himself as he walked down a street. It was mid afternoon and he glared daggers at the small fox perched on his shoulder comfortably, he raised his finger and flicked the thing as hard as he could. The fox snarled a quiet warning in response. But he made no move to stop the boy, probably because they were out in public and they couldn't afford to screw up their cover.

He ran his hand through his now red tinted hair. His whisker marks we covered up and out of view and his once blue eyes were now dark, dull red. He had two earrings pierced into his left ear. Still he wore his old cloak, the one Gaara had given him; needing a reminder of where he was from. He was brandishing new black pants and a grey undershirt. Bandages wrapped carefully around his fists ending right below his elbow(Think Lee.), the ends of the bandages hanging toward the ground.

The fox on his shoulder was still blood red, but it had no markings on it, not a trace of its usual black fur on it. Around its neck was a black collar, that displayed spikes encircled it. Two tags swung on it, one was a silver pendent of Konoha's symbol and the other was specification of ownership. Its fur was puffed up as it bristled to its so-called 'owner'.

"Did I ever mention that I hate you." He growled through his teeth as he smiled politely to people who passed by. It was the damn Kyuubi's fault Naruto had to get his ears pierced and change his hair in the first place.

"**The feeling is mutual." **The fox growled back, not even opening his eyes but just as pissed. Naruto had gotten back at the demon and made him dye his "beautiful fur" a duller blood red ,in his point of view, than his original color. **"That dye made my fur all sticky, it's disgusting. Can I at least take of this ridiculous collar off. It's plainly humiliating."**

"But you look so cute!" Naruto laughed lightly at the fox's snarl. "I know what we can do now!"

The fox winced as the loud yelling of the boy came into his sensitive ears. Then he groan with disgust and dislike, knowing full well what could make the boy this happy at a time like this.

"It's time to get some ramen!" Naruto yelled in a sing-song voice. Getting slightly confused and awkward stares from passer-bys Naruto set forward to the place that he knew like a second home.

He smelled the delicious aroma of the ramen before seeing the red banner that specified the area. He grinned in delight as he ducked into the place and took a seat. He closed his eyes remembering all the good times he had in this place.

"What can I get you?" Said a familiar yet different voice than he was use to hearing. It sounded much more low and not as gruff and as rusty than he remembered. He opened his eyes to see a man in an apron and holding a bowl of ramen looking at him expectantly.

Naruto smiled at the man kindly. "I'll have some Pork Ramen!" He looked on his shoulder and raised his eyebrow. The fox in reply just looked in the opposite direction. But the boy just chuckled. "Make that two please!"

The man behind the counter just smiled with amusement noticing these two unusual customers but welcomed them none the less.

"Coming right up." He then set off to work, going to the back to check on whatever was already cooking. Pots and pans could be heard clashing and clanging.

Naruto turned to the fox and grinned, motioning with his head at the man. All he received was the fox's rolling of his eyes.

**Yes, kit I do see him.** Kyuubi sighed mentally.** I swear, just because he's younger doesn't mean you have to goggle at him.**

The blonde just stuck his tongue out at him._ Says you. I wonder who else is here that I know from my time? Well, besides Kakashi-sensei._

The Kyuubi just snorted ruefully. **Who cares? I sure as hell don't. Let's just focus on getting out of this rat hole.**

Right when Naruto was going to remark to the rat hole comment, their food was pronounced ready and was served. The man gently set down their bowls, smiling.

"This is on the house. I see that you two are young travelers. You must be tired and hungry. God knows when you had your last real meal!"

Naruto was shocked for a moment. It wasn't like he'd never gotten a free meal here, he knew Teuchi pretty well in the future, but now… He'd just met him and yet, he given him something. He decided that shop owner was just kind at the heart.

He answered Teuchi's smile with his own, digging into his bowl vigorously. The Kyuubi all the while sniffed his carefully, and after a moment or two started lapping it little by little. And when the blonde wasn't looking he devoured as much as possible, only to immediately stop when the kid looked his way. It was a strange relationship that no one saw often

The shop owner stared for a moment then-

He laughed. It wasn't a loud laugh, nor a small chuckle, but maybe something in between. Both the blonde and the fox looked up at him from their meals with puzzlement plain on their faces. His laughter renewed itself. By the end of the meal, the shop owner had laughed more than he ever had.

"You to are the most interesting customers I've had yet, and that's saying something. I've had quite a few. Kushina Uzumaki. Now that's a woman who could eat!" The shop owner laughed again. "But, I bet you could get her a run for her money, eh?"

Naruto's eyes widened, and he froze in mid movement. However the shop owner didn't notice, seeing how he was lost in the memories of his past customers. He chuckled once more, bid them farewell, and went to the back once more.

Naruto shot a glance directed at the fox, who seemed to have taken a liking to a poster facing the opposite direction. _Kyuubi…_ He thought, not trusting his voice. _Do you have something to tell me…?_

Still the Kyuubi seemed lost at looking at the poster, his eyes darting once to look at the blonde, then darting away before they could meet eye contact.

"Kyuu-" He began aloud.

**Don't call me that! I may have not attacked yet, but people still do know about me. I didn't just start existing right when I attacked your pathetic village!** The Kyuubi growled frantically. His head whipping around to look at the boy. **Okay, fine! Yes, Kushina Uzumaki is your mother, who's last name you were named after! It seems you did inherit something from her, your appetite.**

Naruto frowned, his eyebrows almost meeting together. "But, then that means sh-"

**Kit! Shut up! Don't talk where anyone can here us! Let's go and talk somewhere private!** The fox snarled, interrupting him again.

Naruto immediately stood up from his chair, making it scrape against the ground. Turning, he hurriedly walked out into the streets. The fox jumping onto his shoulder, whispering where to head.

Following the Kyuubi's directions Naruto found himself at the Hokage mountain. Though it was missing two heads: Tsunade's and the Fourth's.

Naruto leaped onto to the spot where the Fourth's would be placed soon and sat down, cross legged. There the Kyuubi jumped off his shoulder and sat in front of him, tail wrapping around his feet.

"**Okay, I guess I should start explaining."**

Naruto crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, I think you should."

"**What exactly do you want explained? Then it will be easier for me to answer."**

Naruto tilted his head to the side, pondering. "I would like to know about my so-called 'mom' and 'dad.' Also, I wanna know how we got here. Oh, and why did you attack the village. That would be great." He finished cheekily.

"**Okay, the first one I can answer pretty easily. No for the second because, honestly, I don't know. As for the last… Well, I'll save that for later." **The Kyuubi shifted its paws on the rock below them, looked Naruto straight in the eye and continued on. **"Kushina Uzumaki, formally known as your mother, and you have some interesting traits that you share and it's a wonder to me that you didn't see it in the first place, but what am I to do. You guys have a major obsession over ramen and she must have been eating it non-stop during pregnancy to get you all crazy like you are. You are both pretty fucking loud too, in case you haven't noticed and you guys hate having your important people hurt, well I guess you could get it off your dad's side too, but that's not the point. The point I am trying to come across is that she acts so much like you that's it pretty damn scary you didn't see it when you were TALKING to her!" **

Naruto was about to object to the insults the Kyuubi had just said when-

"**She's the freaking ninja we met earlier! You know, the one who wanted information. Red hair, grey eyes, ORANGE shirt. She's the one who got dragged away by her own teammates! Remember?!"**

"B-But… She's my mom!?! I haven't seen her even once in all my life and you expect me to recognize her instantly!" He yelled back at the fox, but turned it into a whisper. "Don't you think I feel bad for not knowing my mother and attacking her?"

The fox stilled for a moment then bounded over to Naruto and jumped onto his shoulder. He didn't nuzzle or purr or anything like that, but he sat there with his warm fur up against the boy's skin comfortingly. Naruto tensed suddenly but relaxed an instant later.

"Thanks." He whispered in the fox's delicate ear. Even if neither of them wanted to admit it, they were both greatly attached to the other. They were a family. A strange one, but a family none the less.

"**Yeah, don't get use to it kit."** The moment was over. **"Let's find something interesting to do. Like blow up something or maybe kill someone. Wait! I know. We can torture someone just for the hell of it and watch them suffer!" **

Even though the fox looked to be greatly amused and excited about the thought, Naruto seemed to get nauseated at the suggestion. Shaking his head slightly, Naruto looked around the mountain top. There were small tufts of grass living between small cracks of the mountain, but everything else was barren. Although it didn't seem very special from this perspective, Naruto loved the spot. It was an ideal place where he could just lay there and think in peace. The blonde turned around and saw the view that always took his breathe away. Even the Kyuubi had to admit that the view was beautiful.

They could see the whole town, from the market place which held people running around selling and buying goods to the calm houses next to the forest. The forest seemed endless from this view and the people around it seemed relaxed and content with the day itself. He sighed to himself, he missed his home. Yes, he was looking down at Konoha, but it wasn't the village he knew. It seemed like he was intruding of someone else's home.

He wondered what everyone was doing back home. Of course he had no idea, but he could dream about it. It had been years since he had set foot in the town and seen any of his friends. He imagined that Kakashi was somewhere reading his perverted book while giggling every few seconds and that Sakura was probably scolding him for being late, again. Sasuke probably had that stupid smirk on his face as he watched his team. That Shikamaru was somewhere of watching the clouds with Choji and Ino nearby. Bushy Brows was off somewhere training intensely with Gai-sensei, trying to get Neji to put on those ridiculous spandex, Tenten laughing all the while. He dreamt of Tsunade punching his pervy sensei, once again catching him doing his research. He could picture Kiba and Akamaru wrestling on the ground as Shino collected new bugs with a small, almost unnoticeable smile of his face; Hinata sitting off to the side smiling slightly as she watched her teammates do what they love. Konohamaru was probably going on another mission with his team, one that was actually worth something. They all seemed so happy in his mind.

He sighed again, but now anyone could hear the regret and longing that was in it. The red fox turned he muzzle slightly in the boy's direction but didn't comment. Sometimes people just needed to think.

After about twenty minutes had gone by, it was time to stop moping around. The demon rose and, still on the blonde's shoulder, bite into the boy's ear who was until then still thinking about his old home.

"Ouch!" The boy yelped in surprise. "What was that for!?"

The fox didn't reply but stared at the blonde. He didn't have to say anything, the boy knew it was time to go. He sighed one last time and stood up to go, but just as he pushed himself from off the ground he felt an unfamiliar chakra. He tensed and waited.

He had expected something to happen but was still caught off guard as three kunai were thrown his way from different directions. He dodged them all as instinct took over. As he landed a few feet from were he had once been standing, he assisted the situation. The three kunai were all thrown at the same time, but their height in the air were different. Once was noticeably lower than the others as the other two had a small difference in height, bit it was there. He concluded that their were three attackers, which was proven true as three figures rose from out of the mountain. They were coming out of the actual mountain, and although it surprised him he let none of the figures see it.

As he saw the three figures run at him he saw that they were a genin team of three. He smirked to himself, this would be no problem. They had the advantage in numbers and a surprise attack, but he had more experience and he could see it. They continued to run at him from three different directions and each pulled out their own kunai. He waited until the last moment to make his move. The smaller of the three lunged at him before the others and as he dropped to the ground to dodge the blow he swept his feet underneath her, he knew it was a girl when he heard the squeak as he dodged, causing her to lose her balance. As he pushed himself back to his feet he immediately stepped to the side and elbowed the genin in the back who had tried to take him. The form fell to the ground but without delay brought himself to his feet once more along with the girl. He couldn't see their faces clearly but he knew that there were two boys and a girl, a standard three man team.

The third one had tried to come to his teammates rescue but Naruto had blocked the strike with his own kunai and pushed the boy back and aimed a kick for his head, which he had barely missed. But just as the boy was going to send a punch toward Naruto's head a mass of red fur hurled itself at the boy, knocking him over.

The Kyuubi had decided to join the fight.

The exchange of blows went on for a little longer until the Kyuubi snarled so loud that Naruto couldn't mistake the annoyance in it and had to agree. He put his fingers to the familiar hand sign and yelled, "Kage Bushin!" Multiple Naruto clones appeared and lunged themselves of the surprised genin. The Naruto clones continued with their fighting as the original and the fox made their way to the path down the mountain. He heard a loud poof as one of his clones disappeared and heard more as the rest were dispatched. He stopped walking, absorbing all the memories and jumped to the side, barely escaping the kicked aimed at his head. He turned and saw a woman with long red hair.

His eyes widened slightly. _Mom._

Next to her was a tall young man with blonde hair like his, but not as bleached. He had bright blue eyes and a face that looked like what Naruto saw in the mirror every morning, but without the whisker marks. He wore the standard Konoha attire and a headband tied around his forehead, that shined in the sunlight.

Naruto's eyes widened even more than before and he could hear the small intake of breathe from the fox as it ended in a growl. Without thinking Naruto took a step back. The man before was powerful and he knew it, just looking at him was all he needed. The bright blue eyes took in everything around him and Naruto recognized the look in them, the look Shikamaru had every time he had a strategy planned out.

_It's him. It's the Fourth Hokage. The Yellow Flash. My father._

**Yes, it's the bastard alright. Look at him! All alive and healthy! I just want to rip out his heart and watch him suffer! **He heard the snarl in his mind and could feel the murderous intent spilling out of the fox. He looked at the group and saw that they felt the intent. He smiled, trying to ease the tension in the air. No effect.

_This is not good. _He thought to himself. He knew the Kyuubi would be no help in this situation but would only make it worse if brought into it. He smiled hesitantly at the group, scratching the back of his head, making a small waving gesture with the other.

"Yo." They blinked. The woman-his mother-and the man next to him exchanged looks. "So, what's with you guys attacking me?"

One of the three genin behind the man made a move forward but stopped as the man put an arm out. Although there was a clear warning in the move the boy still yelled back to Naruto. "Attack you! We didn't attack you! You were acting suspicious!"

"I was acting suspicious? Doing what may I ask? Sitting here trying to get some peace and quiet? It's a crime now, is it?"

All kept their silences, although Kushina was staring daggers at him. That slightly unsettled him. Mothers were not to look at their child like that. She was probably trying to compare him to the man she had seen days ago, really comparing him to himself.

_Well… This is going super. Loving this. Oh so loving it._ He thought sarcastically, pointing his thoughts to the fox out of habit. _Don't you think it's a great family reunion? Eh, you stupid fox?_

The Kyuubi just snorted mentally. **Yeah, this is a real treat.**

Naruto was just about to get the conversation rolling when he was interrupted, by one of the genin. Obito, as he recalled suddenly, remembering him dragging his mother away with Kakashi. "Those attacks you just gave!? Where did you learn those!? You fought like a ninja!" He ignored his earlier sarcastic remark and asked once more, "Who are you?"

Naruto really didn't want to answer. When he was younger he would have in an instant, but times change, as do people. So, instead he just shrugged, and returned their stares with one of his own. The genin girl looked away, focusing her eyes on the ground at her feet. His mouth twitched up just a fraction of an inch. _Nice._

Kyuubi growled. Naruto frowned slightly, glancing at the demon. "Really? Are you sure?" He was answered by another growl, this time sounding annoyed. He shrugged his shoulders once more. "Alright, if you say so."

Turning to the others he bowed deeply, like a gentle men, and introduced himself. "My name is Naruto. Naruto Uz-" He didn't finish, biting his lip quickly, not wanting to say the last part of his name and giving them away. Their was a pause, then the Kyuubi growled and lightly snapped his jaws together, his teeth making a clicking noise. He hastily rushed on. "And this is my little, wimpy- I mean intelligent companion Kyuu… Kyube!"

Newly renamed 'Kyube' glared at his with murderous red eyes, but kept quiet.

**I'm gonna kill you later, just you wait. **Naruto heard so softly in his mind that he wasn't sure if anything was said, or in his case, thought.

The whiskered blonde chuckled at the empty threat. Kyuubi huffed up and directed his attention else ware, not looking at Naruto. Both had noticed the stares they were receiving from the ninja in front of them, but thought nothing of it. From years of whispers and stares it was old news.

Their was an air of silence from all of them. Naruto because he didn't want to talk, and the shinobi because they still awaited answers. "Oh, you want to know about me? Makes sense seeing as I'm an 'intruder.'" He made quotes with his fingers when saying the last word. "Okay then! I love ramen, fighting, training, and pulling pranks once in a while. I hate people who think others are bellow them or treat other people badly all because something that had happened in the past. I will do anything to protect the people I care about. I was considered the Number One Most Unpredictable Ninja to all my friends. I always let people know what I'm thinking, and is very open to others. Oh, and this little dick next to me is my own personal hell that I'm stuck with the rest of my life." He smiled cheekily at the stunned ninja.

It looked like not many of suspicious ninja they encounter ever talked about themselves. And even less replied that a cute, fuzzy animal was their own personal hell. To say in the least, the blonde in front of the group was an unusual fellow.

Again silence fell over them all but Naruto could see the calculating look in their eyes, especially the Fourth. Their stares made him uneasy. Wanting to do something other than standing there he wifted his weight to his right leg then back to the left. No matter how much he had changed he still hated standing still, he could endure it but that didn't mean he had to enjoy it. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the Fourth spoke:

"You seem to be no threat to us. I apologize for our mistake, you see it is our duty to know who comes in and out of our village and it seems like we missed you." At these words the three genin shifted uncomfortably, but said nothing. "Although it puzzles me how you got into the village without alerting one of us. May I ask how you got in?"

Naruto cocked his head to the side, as did the Kyuubi, as the question reached his ears. He smiled, showing all his pearly white teeth as he answered. "Well, it's kinda my specialty to go places unnoticed and I've got years of practice." He thought of all the times he had snuck into the Old Hag's office to demand for ramen and going in the Hokage Vault to steal back his gear when someone confiscated it. "It would be a surprise if anyone caught me! Even if someone caught me I have a plan B! This little guy!" Having said that he pointed to the fox on his shoulder only to see that the fox wasn't there. "Huh-?"

He turned his head side to side multiple times before he heard the low growl. As his head turned to the sound he saw the little demon crouched low right next to the Fourth's foot ready to take a bite.

"Hey! What the hell do you think your doing?!" He yelled at the mass of fur. He pointed to the ground next to him, "Come here right now!

The small fox closed his mouth with a loud click and padded over to the blonde with its shoulders slouched and sat down heavily. It seemed to be sulking.

"How many times have I told you 'No'! You cannot just go around trying to hurt people just for the hell of it!. My goodness." He scolded the fox shaking head slightly, only to turn it toward the group again and shrugged, smiling slightly. "Sorry, no matter how many times I tell him he still goes on and starts attacking people, trying to harm in any way he can."

The three genin were giving him strange looks. The silver haired one; Kakashi-sensei-no, not sensei, not yet-asked a question with a snobby tone "Why did you teach your fox to fight and kill whenever he wants to?"

Naruto stared for a second then started chuckling, he waved a hand at the fox. "I didn't teach him that, he came to me like that. He's a little death machine and I can't do anything about it except try and stop it whenever I can."

"I don't find anything in that funny."

"Well, you wouldn't. it doesn't seem like you have my sense of humor." As Naruto looked on at the boy with the mask covering half of his mouth he became depressed. The boy had no idea what was going to happen to his life. That he was going to lose his team, both of them. The present and in the future and there was nothing he could do about it. As Naruto stared at his untouched left eye he sighed.

The boy seeing the sad gaze the blonde was directing at him took a step back. The dark haried boy and the girl looked at him with concern but said nothing.

"Well, I'll just go then." He twisted his body in facing his right and started toward the path again. The fox bounce lightly after him.

"Wait!" He looked back, seeing the girl genin speak up. _Rin_. He remembered at the Old Man's funeral, she was standing right behind Kakashi. "Where are you going?"

Naruto pondered over this for a moment. Then, finally, he shrugged, and then said, "I don't really have a home, well, not any more."

Before he could take another step forward Rin called out once more. "Then why don't you stay here? You could be a Konoha ninja! We could go to the Hokage and see what he thinks about you!" Even though he only knew her for five minutes, Naruto could tell instantly that she was a nice person at heart.

Both Obito and Kakashi shot her glares that plainly said, "Are you freaking kiddin' me?!?"

"Rin," The Fourth asked, looking at her. "Are you really serious? Inviting a mysterious ninja to become part of the village. A mysterious ninja that we know nothing about-"

"Hey, I told you I liked ramen." Naruto cut in. "What more do you need?"

Kushina rolled her eyes, not believing how stupid he was. " I don't know: Where you're from. How powerful you are at specific skills. Will you kill us all in the middle of the night. You know, the basics."

"Don't worry," Rin piped in, looking at Naruto with honest eyes. "He doesn't seem like the person to do that kinda stuff. He looks like a guy that always keeps his word, and follows it through and through, no matter what. Just like Sensei."

'Sensei', or the Fourth, looked the young man over, raising an eyebrow.

Naruto raised his in return.

The Fourth gave a little smile. Looking toward the others he nodded and started walking back in the direction that they came.

"That's not cool." Naruto complained. Crossing his arms he pouted.

"What's wrong?" Rin asked. The blonde just shook his head.

"When I walk away you guys attack me, but when he walks away it's all okay. If I wasn't such an awesome person, it might look to me that you don't really trust me."

"Wow," Obito said sarcastically. "He's modest."

Naruto grinned, making the 'Nice Gai' pose. "And I've got the looks to match." Both Rin and Kushina stifled a giggle, while Obito and Kakashi snickered. Kyuubi on the other used this moment to sneak up on the blond and bite his foot. Hard.

"Ow!" Naruto shook his foot, but Kyuubi didn't wan to let go just yet. The demon clamped his jaws tighter, intent on making the man feel as much pain right then. "Hey, if this is for calling you those names earlier, then sorry!"

Kyuubi just glared at him angrily. **I said earlier that I would kill you, but seeing how I can't I'll just have to settle with making your life even more hell.**

"Oh, c'mon! Really! You gotta do this now?! Now!?"

**Yes.**

"Well, it seems like you two are a happy family." Kushina said, nourishing the ironic statement that only Naruto and Kyuubi could get. With that she walked away, the three genin team following close behind.

"Wait! Aren't you gonna help me!?" Naruto yelled after them. Still trying to shake the fox off his foot he hopped after them. When they turned around to face him they couldn't help the laughter, so they continued on without the young man. "No! Don't leave me here with the demon fox!" Again another ironic statement that only few could understand.

Soon they were out of sight and Naruto fell to the floor with a large thump. The fox let go and they dropped their facade. The fox huffed with the indignity he had just put up with.

"I don't see why we have to do this."

"**Stupid boy, we can't let them know our true selves."**

"Why not? No one can recognize me because no one has met me yet! I haven't even been born!"

"**We're not the only ones out of our time period."** The demon reminded him quietly. This stopped the boy immediately. **"They are the reason why you left in the first place. Remember?"**

"How can I forget." Naruto said bluntly. "Are we going to kill them?" Even though the boy was hiding his true feelings the fox could sense all the anger and hurt that he had been holding. It surprised the fox how much the boy wanted to kill the group; Naruto hated killing without a reason.

"**Of course. I don't want to stay here and they are getting quite troublesome. And no way in hell are they going to capture me!" **The fox doubled in size and a great growl erupted from his throat. Naruto didn't seemed fazed by the growl since he had snarled to himself too, making a malicious smile.

"They're gonna pay for making me leave everyone. Also, for almost killing the others. It was only luck that they had escaped. How dare they harm my important people!" He had grown louder as each sentence had flowed out of his lips.

Naruto knew that he wasn't the same person who left his own village years ago. Even though it greatly disturbed him how much he changed, he was proud. He was stronger than ever and nothing and no one could get in his way of protecting his friends.

"Akatsuki." He snarled viciously.

* * *

Tsunade looked at the ninja before her. They all looked ready, focused, and determined. The looks on their faces showed that they would come back successful no matter the cost.

She acknowledged them proudly, they had all grown.

There were new faces just as their were old. She stole a glance toward the black haired ninja standing at the very end of the group. He seemed content with listening to the conversation than acting part of it. He had a medium sized paint brush clutched in his right hand, which wore a fingerless glove. His black eyes was to observant for her liking. He was a member of R.O.O.T, she knew. Almost everyone in the room knew. Around his waist was a silver belt that had the word carved into it. Sai was his name. Even Tsunade didn't know his last name, if he had one.

"So," She clasped her hand together, intertwining her fingers. "There had been reports of the organization named Akatsuki. Their purpose hasn't been defined but rumor has it that they are going after the jinchuriki. As for what they plan to do with the demons, it is unknown. But know this, once they capture the holder then it is certain that death will come. No questions asked." She paused for a second, thinking of a small bright eyed ninja that smiled big whenever seeing her. "The Kazekage of the Sand as you all know is a holder and he has mentioned that there will be attacks sooner or later. I cannot say how he came to know this information but whether it's true or not we will be prepared."

"Sensei, has there been any reports on… him?" A young pink haired woman asked, stepping closer to the dark man standing next to her. He didn't seem to notice. Everyone in the room seemed to pause at the question, holding their breath, even the stoic young man standing in the corner with his face hidden in the dark blue scarf around his neck.

The blonde behind the desk breathed in deep before answering. "Yes. Yes there have been some unusual reports that seem to be connected with him."

All the ninja breathed out, relieved. Even a new light came forth in the stoic boy's eyes, brightening his usual dull, black eyes.

"Hey Old Hag, are we all going?" The question came from the dark boy in the corner, surprising all. He hadn't said anything that disrespectful since Naruto was here. No one could mistaken the amusement in the voice too, which hadn't been heard in a while.

Tsunade was taken back with the name. No one ever dare call her that except for two people. Two very stupid people. So stupid it seemed like they shared one brain; they were alike in many ways. After a moment of silence she exploded.

"How dare you call me that, you little brat!" She got up out of her seat and walked toward the teen. No one made any move to stop her; they all enjoyed having their heads attached to their shoulders. "It seems like I'm going to have to knock the sense back into you!"

She had grabbed his shirt and lifted him into the air, but froze with her eyes widening. The boy in her hold was smiling with happiness. She could see the smile since she was so close but doubted anyone else could see it since the scarf was covering it. The smile, actually more of a fool's grin, held more hope than she had seen it hold in quite some time. Her eyes softened as she set the boy down and she gave him a small smile. In the end though she gave him a simple, light punch to the shoulder, which compared to a hit from a rock. The boy didn't wince once, his smile still in place, as well as her own. It was wiped of her face as she went back to business. She returned to her desk with one last look at the dark figure in the corner and folder her hands once more.

"As I was saying before that rude notion. Yes, I have all seen some evidence and yes you are all going." She announced. She expected to get smiled all around.

"What makes you think we will find him this time?" The dark haired man with the equally dark eyes asked.

"Yeah, and where exactly are we heading?" The young man with long dark brown hair asked as his companion wearing green spandex nodded along with the woman with light brown hair.

Tsunade looked as if she had eaten a lemon. _I give them good news and they have to spoil the moment. _"I think you will find him this time because he hasn't left yet." This statement brought on blank looks. _Ugh… _"He has been spotted near the village of the Sand. Their Kazekage has even mentioned some along the lines of 'He's doing well. He's not in much trouble as often nowadays.' So yeah, I think you'll find him this time." She finished with a smile as she had answered both questions.

She didn't count on what came next.

"THE KAZEKAGE'S BEEN SEEING HIM!"

"WHY DIDN'T HE TELL US!"

"HOW LONG HAVE YOU KNOWN THIS!?!

Tsunade rubbed her temples, vein popping on her forehead. She grinded her teeth as the outbursts continued on. Deciding she wanted to talk once more, she pounded her fist against the table. The force caused a large dent where her hand landed, cracks forming all around it. _Hmph… Strong wood._

She stared at the ninja, eyes fiery. "I hadn't told you about his because I've just found about it myself. As for the Kazekage not informing us, he said that both he and Naruto had their reasons for it. And yes, the Kazekage has been seeing the blonde idiot for a while now."

She notice the tension in the air around the her student and the black haired man. Their faces were serious as stone, allowing only determination showing through their eyes.

"Relax, Sakura. Sasuke. Their reasons should be good enough."

"B-But Sensei, how will we find out his reason?" Sakura asked, Uchiha nodding.

Tsunade grinned. "By asking him yourself, of course! You all want to find him don't you?" They nodded their heads vigorously. "Seeing as you all are qualified, each with your own skill needed for this mission. I don't see a reason why you shouldn't go."

At that point a pale eyed woman broke into the conversation, shyly tapping two fingers together. "What if the village was attacked while we were gone? Who would protect the citizens?" Another pale eyed ninja nodded, looking like a younger version of herself.

Tsunade frowned, taking it as an insult. "What?! You don't think that we old folks can take care of ourselves! I swear, all you brats think you're the only defense we have." The young Hyuga gulped, backing away, about to apologize. Tsunade just waved her off, "It's fine Hinata, no hard feelings. Anyway, Shikamaru you'll be in charge as usual."

The lazy ninja sighed. "Troublesome. As always." He earned himself a smack to the head, delivered by none other than his teammate, Ino Yamanka.

"Don't talk to Tsunade like that! Be respectful of her decision!" Shikamaru sighed, not wanting to anger her, nodded to the Hokage.

"Anyhow, you will all leave as soon as possible. You have an hour to pack and meet at the front gate. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Hokage-sama!" they said in unison. She raised her arm in a dismissal and once they all had exited she slumped into her chair and called Shizune.

"Yes, Hokage-sama?" The woman asked as she came in, holding the small pig in her arms.

"Can you try and get hold of the pervert Sage that we all call a Sannin?" She asked reaching into her desk and bringing out a sake bottle. There was no need to hide it, the small blonde that use to steal it just for kicks wasn't around anymore.

"I shall try. Is there anything else?"

"Yeah, I'm running out of sake."

* * *

Sakura sucked in deeply, breathing in the thick air. As she let it out she thought of what she would say to Naruto once they meet. She had million of questions she wanted to ask him. But she knew what she would ask him first. 'Why did you leave us?' Then no matter his answer she would pummel him to the ground for doing something so stupid. Old habits die hard.

It had been some minutes since they had separated from the original group to go and get ready for the mission.

The pink haired kunoichi looked at the man walking beside her. As if feeling her gaze he looked over at her. She didn't blush or swoon like she use to, but averted her eyes. She looked at the scenery around her.

"Why do you suppose he left?" She asked Sasuke, still not looking at him.

"…" Was all she got for a reply. They walked in silence for a few more moments until he spoke up.

"I don't know why the dobe did it. But sure in hell I'm going to find out. What I was thinking was if he left voluntary or not…" He trailed off.

This was about as much as he would talk, even now it was hard for her to get a conversation going with him. But the thought of seeing his 'brother' seemed to spark him up, leading him into talking.

"Don't worry we'll get him back." Sasuke said. The pink kunoichi peeked up only to find the Uchiha looking at her intently. "It's not like he'll be hard to find, seeing as he had the brightest outfit we knew."

"It wasn't that bri-" She suddenly noticed that he was no longer walking next to her. She looked over her shoulder to see that he had stopped, and she had gone a couple steps on her own. He had stopped right in the middle of the path. 'Sasuke, wha-"

"We're here." He said, cutting her off.

Sakura for the first time noticed where they had walked to. It was their training grounds. She walked back to stand next to him. She could even see the one big tree that they had thrown kunai at, with deep slashes in the trunk. So deep that it couldn't be anything other than a kunai that had made the cut.

The pair was standing in front of three big logs shoved tight into the ground. It had been years since the whole team had used it together. It was the middle log of the three that Naruto had been tied to countless of times. It was this spot that they had been officially made a team. This spot that Naruto and Sasuke had been named rivals and best of friends. This spot that had memories of them laughing and having fun like friends did.

"So many memories here." A small smile made its way onto her lips, a sad one, but a smile none the less. "It seems like forever since the last time we were here."

Sasuke nodded and made his usual reply. "Hn."

Seeing the area made her remember the good times, the happy times. Here was where her most cherished memories were, her happiest. Here, also, was her saddest. This was were she was when she found out that he had gone, left, ran away. From his home. His friends. His team. His family.

"Well, I better get going if I don't want to be late." She was a little choked up. Knowing her eyes were getting watery, she pushed them back angrily. "You should go to. I'll see you later, okay." With that she jogged away from him, away from the grounds, away from the memories of him. Of Naruto.

"Why…?" Sasuke asked helplessly at the grounds. He looked up at the bright blue sky. The same color of Naruto's eyes. He could just imagine the big smile of the boy's face. The smile a little goofy and a little too excited. He would have laughed at him and called him an emotional wreck. Then he would laugh ever more at his smartness of his own joke. "I will bring you back. I know you would do the same for me."

Then he too walked away from the grounds, just like the rest of his team had.

An hour later all the ninja met up, packed and ready. Starting off toward the Sand village they began their journey. It was only three days away to the village, and so was he.

They all knew that Naruto could and most likely would have changed over the years. They all just hoped he hadn't changed to much. Everyone needed the Number One Unpredictable Knuckle-Headed Ninja of Konoha in their lives. Though no one ever admitted it, it was true. He was a bigger part of their lives than anyone, even he himself ever imagined.

He changed everyone he met and brought them together. He had also made their lives just a little more exciting. And a little bit more happier

All in a day's work for Naruto Uzumaki.

* * *

In the very center of a dark cave stood multiple dark figures. All of them sported black cloaks with crimson colored clouds on them. Many of them wore hats that obscured their face; some didn't. Few didn't even seem human. They were all different sizes and shapes, different colors. They all seemed to have one thing in common though; they all seemed to display a cold stare in their eyes.

"What news do you bring me Itachi?" Asked a man with authority. He had bright orange hair, that every time saw it they had the urge to blink. He had piercing all along his nose.

"It seems the boy has followed us." The man called Itachi answered. His long black hair was tied and his eyes glowed red. The sharingan swiftly moving on its own accord.

"What?" The orange haired man didn't yell or put any emphasis on the word, but said it quite calmly. Though not many showed it, they flinched.

"He found the crystal containing the power to summon him here. It was purely coincidental, as the idiot hasn't even yet figures out where he is. Or when. He doesn't even remember anything that happened before." The man replied back.

"Has he called on the Kyuubi no Kitsune's powers yet?"

"No. Not once. But it is only a matter of time. If he uses it in this time period there will be some side effects surely."

"I see…" The man paused for a moment, his eyes calculating. The rings in his eyes seemed endless and it seemed that when you looked into them you would become lost in the dark. "We will continue on with the plan. He can do nothing about the events soon to plague this land."

"Is it possible that our plans can go wrong with the boy and his meddling?"

"No. He is just a small pawn in our game."

* * *

**Author's comments:**

**N: Why is Konohamaru so emo and depressed? It's bringing me down, man.**

**M: NO BITCH! No, no, no, no. that's like saying bacon's not freaking delicious. And guess what, it is.**

**N: He's like Gaara before he met Naruto, only he doesn't love to kill the innocent and doesn't have a tailed beast inside him who won't let him sleep for shit.**

**M: Yes, yes he is.**

**N: I wish people would review. It hurts my ego when they don't. It makes me feel like they don't care.**

**M: Me to. Why don't people care!?!**

**N: Cause they are big meanie heads, that's why.**

**M: Review! Please!**


	10. Chapter 10

Naruto was bored. Plainly said.

Sprawled out on a branch high above the ground, he waited in silence and boredom. He was told to wait in a room right below the Hokage's office. After the few moment that he was left alone, he had immediately felt vulnerable. So, instead of staying there he decided he would wait somewhere else, somewhere he could defend himself.

Like in a tree.

Great view. Bark was durable. Leaves offer as a cover. It was the perfect spot!

Now the tree he chose was right out the window of the Hokage's office. He had stacked out in this one back when he was a genin, trying to gather information for better missions. Although he got caught most of the time-well, all the time. But that wasn't the point!

If the balcony doors of the office were open one could hear anything said in the room. One thing was a problem. They were closed.

Naruto had thought that The Fourth and his group would've gone straight to report to the Hokage, but they seemed to be to be taking their sweet time. He growled with boredom, slumping back to lean against the tree.

"How long does it take to walk to a freaking office! It didn't even take me a minute!" The blonde slammed his head back, making contact with the hard, durable bark. He winced before Kyuubi's chakra took its toll and healed it in mater of seconds.

The said chakra's owner yawed big and wide, showing his set of pearly white teeth. Kyuubi stretched, arching his back like a cat, letting out his claws, which happened to be on Naruto's leg.

"Ow!" His leg jerked, unsettling the fox's balance. The demon would've taken a face plant if not for the boy grabbing him by the scruff of his fur. "Watch where you put those! They're sharp!"

"**It's not my fault your weak. That pain should be nothing. You've had much worse and you know it."**

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the demon. He felt no need to reply to the fox's words. Besides, he saw some movement in the Hokage's room. "Stop sleeping. I think someone just entered the office." Just as he spoke Old Man Hokage, though a few years younger, entered. Following behind was an ANBU ninja. Naruto could see the Old Man's lips moving but sadly couldn't understand anything they were saying.

"**Boy, you can hear them? I think they're speaking to quietly for your ears. Although my hearing is superb, I must say."** Kyuubi twitched his ears back and forth, straining to gather the grunts of the human voices.

"Hey, my hearing is better than most people!" Naruto replied openly in a half whisper. "You're sealing made sure of that. Like you said before, even now your chakra is still affecting me." He looked to the window and back multiple times. "How shall I tune in all Mighty Kitsune?" His words, presented to be respectful, were none of the sort.

Kyuubi pondered over it, sighing. **"Here's what we'll do. I don't like teaching you new things because that decreases my chance at escaping the seal my force, but…"**

"But what?"

"**It's possible to feel my mind. I'm not about when we talk to each other. I mean you going in my mind-though it disgusts me-and obtaining my senses while you're in there."**

Naruto was taken back. "You mean, I'll have super hearing?"

Kyuubi shook his head.** "Only when your in my mind. Which means that your consciousness with merge with mine, so that you can see and hear as I do. This is only possible because of the bond that still links us together."**

Naruto tilted his head to the side. "So, how does this work and all. How do I get in."

"**It's fairly simple actually. All you need to do is focus your thoughts on my own, but this time you'll be more focused on my mind as a whole. Before, you would just center it on my thoughts."** Naruto nodded. **"I suggest that you get into a comfortable pose. You won't consciously be in your body, it'll be like an empty, but alive, shell."**

Nodding once more, Naruto settled in a more comfortable position. Crossing his arms he leaned against the tree, one foot brought up, the other dangling. Naruto closed his eyes.

He opened his mind to his surroundings. He could feel multiple chakras throughout the village, but he focused on the one next to him. Although it was a bright sun compared to the other dim candles all around them, it seemed to be chakra none the less. The demon next to him seemed to be made entirely out of chakra; as if his whole being was an evolved form of chakra. He noticed a string connecting him and the demon, it looked like it was red and blue, he couldn't tell. Both his and the fox's chakra was swirling around that string, strengthening it.

Suddenly he felt the fox's mind. He hadn't really noticed its strange feel, seeing how he can sense it in the back of his own mind every minute. But now, he could almost see the wisdom and power that came from it's ageless depts. The Kyuubi No Kitsune truly had seen a lot, and learned so much.

Kyuubi's mind seemed to have a gravity field, pulling in his mind into it. Almost immediately he was overwhelmed by the demons memories and emotions. They all came rushing to him, threatening to crush his consciousness. He caught glimpses of images, flashes of Kyuubi's memories. Naruto gasped; well, he tried to gasped, seeing how his mind was no longer in his own body.

Before the fox's mind engulfed his own, it all just sudden stopped and backed off. Naruto mentally sighed in relief.

_Thank you Kyuubi._

**You're welcome.** Was his immediate answer. Seemingly coming from the dept of his mind.

_Huh! Kyuubi!? Where are you!?_

He thought he'd heard a sigh.

**That's because you did. You're in my mind jackass. I can hear your every thought, even those you don't want me to hear.**

_Oh._ Now that was a shocker.

**Isn't it?**

_Stop reading my thoughts!_ Stupid fox.

**Oh, ho, ho! I'm the stupid one.**

_Shut up._ He wondered how he use the fox's senses. All his mind to comprehend was black, black, and black. There seemed to be no brain in the fox's skull, just a pit of nothing.

**My head is not a black pit! You're in my mind, not my skull! As for the senses part. Open your eyes.**

Naruto did as he was complied. He was surprised when he could. Although, it wasn't how he usually looked in at the world.

His whole sight was entirely mixed up, blues and greens, dull and subdued, while red was all over the place. Things that were usually far away, got closer. He could see every detail of a leaf on a bush twenty yards away.

Smells were all over the place! He could sniff out at least ten different types of ramen being cooked at the Ramen shop that was three blocks over from his position. As for hearing…

"-position your capable ninja at each gate. I don't want anyone suspicious coming in without you knowing about it."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

"You are dismissed." With a wave of his hand the Old Man had sent the ANBU walking out the door. Only after a few moments of silence were established before a knock penetrate the room.

The old Hokage quickly sat in his chair that was set behind the desk, which was covered in so many papers that it was hard to decipher what was its color.

"Come in." He said in a gruff voice. The door opened and in came in none other than the Fourth and Kushina, but Kakashi, Obito, and Rin were surprisingly no where to be seen. The Old Man smiled a genuine smile, full of warmth. "Ah, how are you two lovebirds?"

Minato rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the small red creeping up to his face. Kushina on the other hand smiled.

"We're fine, as usual." She walked straight to his desk and took a seat on it, causing dozens of papers to fall to the ground.

The Fourth started to warn her not to do that, but it was to late. "I'm very sorry, sir. I'll pick it-"

The Old Man just waved it off. "No worries. It won't take long to reorder it once more." He intertwined his fingers together, staring at the couple before him, a small smile forming on his lips. "So… Tell me, when is it expected?"

The Fourth started forward. "W-What!? Hokage…I-I d-don't what y-you'r-re ta-lking about…" He suddenly looked uncomfortable.

Kushina laughed. She turned to the Old Man. "Ten months the least." She rubbed her belly gently, eyes softening. "We're getting the tests back in about a week or so."

The Old Man's smile grew. "Excellent." He looked at the Fourth, who's face was red as a cherry. "You're going to be an admirable father Minato."

At his words the Fourth gave a small smile, his blush lessening a little. "Thank you."

"Do you know what you're going to name him or her?"

Kushina shook her head. "No, not yet. But I'm sure it'll come to us."

The Old Man nodded. He gave a long and slow sigh. "Although you came here, I don't think it was to tell me about your surprise. Am I correct?"

The Fourth nodded, suddenly serious. "Yes, we were doing a quick perimeter earlier today, a couple hours ago if I'm correct, when we sensed an unfamiliar chakra. It turned out that a man had gotten past the ninja posted on the walls. My team confronted him, only to be outmatched. Even with Obito's eyes and Kakashi's skill. When Kushina and I arrived he was trying to make a conversation with them." Minato's mouthed twitched up, as did the Old Man's. "We asked his who he was and he replied, telling us a lot of information about himself. Though it was mostly about his hobbies and such. Like he was introducing himself to his new team on his first day."

"And then what?" Kushina continued on for Minato, spinning a kunai around her finger.

"Well, we talked to him and then he started questioning why we were attacking him. He said that he was just walking, enjoying the scenery, when all of a sudden we come out and attack him. He told us that we were rude for doing that. Then he and Rin started talking, and they came to a nice compromise. Right now he's in room waiting to meet you. And the rest is history."

"I see." The old Hokage said. "And is there anything about him that I should know about?"

Kushina and the Fourth glanced at each other. Kushina motion with her hand for him to talk.

"There is a lot about him that is strange. He looks normal, except that his eyes are an eerie red. His pupils, though not fully, are almost slits. Those themselves seem to tell you that he will always have something up his sleeve, that he is cunning. You can see whenever he talks that his canines are longer than usual, like those from the Inuzuka clan. Not only that but the air around has this animal ferocity to it. Like he would leap at you at any moment and rip your throat out. Also… He has an animal companion." The Fourth stopped.

The Old Man gave him a confused look. "What is it? Is the animal injured in some way?"

The Fourth shook his head. "No. It's just that the animal he travels with has-I don't know how-unimaginable chakra levels. It comes off it in huge waves when it's angry or annoyed. We felt it from afar, I can't imagine knowing what my team felt being so close. Although, they didn't look unsettled or seemed to even have sensed it…" He stopped once more. "I think they didn't feel it because its chakra was being drowned out by the man's. His must have been stronger, and seeing as how near they were to him they only noticed his, not the animals. That seems the most logical to me."

The Old Man looked grave at this news. "I see… How strong do you think the young man is?"

"To say the least he's at least jounin level. Maybe more. He sure as hell got the chakra for it."

Kushina piped up. "Do you think he could be the man I saw before?"

The Fourth shrugged. "Could be. I'm not entirely sure. But there is one thing I'm sure of is that he's got power, and I don't want that to be used against me." Both Kushina and the Old Man nodded in agreement.

"So what should we do about h-"

Naruto gasped as he was snapped back into his own body. He hastily grabbed the branch with both hands to steady himself, making sure he wouldn't fall down to the ground. Kyuubi shook his head multiple times, as if trying to rid himself an annoying fly. He too was unsteady after that little experiment.

"What happened?" Naruto panted, breathing deeply, trying to calm down his heart. He felt like he had run for days, not stopping once. His heart rate was zooming, and he felt so weak. His mind felt like it was whirling and banging on the inside of his skull. "Why did our connection break?"

"**It seems that was our limit."** Kyuubi replied, looking as tired as a demon could.

Finally got his heartbeat under control. "Okay, but why are we so tired? You have countless amounts of chakra and I've got a lot of stamina."

"**I think we're like this because it's the first time we've done it. Practice makes perfect, that's what they say. I don't think anyone's done this before. Maybe the other demons and their holders, but I'm not sure."**

Even as the demon spoke Naruto could feel his weariness fading. His mind no longer felt like it was spinning. His body relaxed.

"**I don't think that we're physically drained, but mentally. It's gotta be damn hard to keep two minds in one head. We are quite strong physically, but mentally we're weak as a butterfly."**

"So… That means…" Naruto began.

"**We've gotta trained to increase our mental capacity."**

"Which basically means…"

"**We're gonna trained a lot more. And a lot harder."**

"Oh joy." Naruto sighed. _This training's gonna hurt isn't it?_

"**Yes, yes it probably will. A lot."**

"When will we start?"

Kyuubi thought about it. **"We can't this week. Seeing as how they don't fully trust us here we're gonna have to wait a while. But when they do, it's all training from there. We need to overcome every obstacle the world throws at us. No matter how big and dangerous."**

Naruto nodded in agreement. He vaguely noticed voices coming nearer and nearer, becoming louder and louder. He looked to the direction, seeing-to his dismay- Kakashi, Obito, and Rin nearing his spot. They would most likely sense his and Kyuubi's chakra, seeing how they've been experiencing it close up.

Quickly, grabbing the fox by the scruff, he launched himself out of the tree, making not so much as a leaf shiver. Not two seconds later did they stop and look up at the tree, as if they noticed something out of the ordinary. Rin continued walking along, while both Kakashi and Obito carried on staring up. Finally they were satisfied as ran to catch up with their other teammate, making it become a contest. Rivals-Best Friends.

Naruto sighed in relief. Getting out from behind the pole where he had been hiding, he walked along the street, trying to ignore the few stares he was receiving. _Kyuubi? Why do people stare at us? They don't know about you. Do they?_

Kyuubi shook his head. He made himself comfortable on the blonde's shoulder, curling himself around the his neck. A tingling sensation went down Naruto's back as the demon's fur prickled his skin.

The stares continued until Naruto couldn't stand it any long. He was about to make a comment to one in particular bystander who didn't seem to notice that Naruto was staring back when a hand was placed on his shoulder. He turned to see…

"Shikamaru?" He whispered so low that the man couldn't possibly hear it. His eyes widened as he took in what he saw.

He was about the same height as Naruto and his dark hair was pulled in a high ponytail that made it look like a particular tropical fruit. He wore dull black pants with a shirt to match. He wore a green vest that specified him as a jounin. His eyes were sharp and calculating, but had a lazy look to them. A scar ran down his face, telling Naruto it wasn't in fact Shikamaru, but his father, Shikkaku. He regarded Naruto with a experienced eye.

"Hello."

"Uh… Hi." Naruto was a bit uncomfortable talking to his friends parents. Mostly because some of them hated him, but other times it was just awkward.

"I haven't seen you around here before. You're from Konoha aren't you?" Plain and simple.

"Uh… Sort of." He paused curiously. "Why do you say that."

The man just shrugged. "Just looked like it. Say, what's your name?"

"Naruto. You?" Naruto asked in return, already knowing his name.

"Shikkaku." Naruto stared at him, noticing all the similarities he had with his son. It was astonishing how much they looked alike; it kind of unnerved him. The man noticed and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. It's just that you seem familiar." The man nodded but didn't say anything else and neither did Naruto. The man just kept looking a Naruto intently. The blonde did his best not to look away or flinch nervously.

**He's really good at not blinking thing. I**__**bet he could even rival my stare. That's creepy.**

"Well, I gotta go." Shikkaku said suddenly. Naruto blinked in surprise but smiled an instant later.

"Gotcha." Naruto nodded intensely, getting a low growl from the fox on his shoulder. The movement had caused his shoulders to move with him, shaking the Kyuubi. The man looked at Naruto quizzically. "Things to think about, clouds to watch, laying around to do, getting relaxed. I understand completely."

Shikkaku slowly smiled, not a fake one, but the one that showed in your eyes. "Maybe sometime you and I shall talk. Not now, later. You seem very interesting." Without saying another word he walked away, leaving Naruto standing there.

Kyuubi looked up at the boy. **"He seems like an interesting follow. I like him. Anyone who can stare at you like that and make you uncomfortable deserves respect."**

In reply all Naruto did was make a face at the fox. He continued walking through the streets, noticing that not many people were staring at him, only a few quick glances. It looked as though if Shikkaku thought you were an okay guy, it was enough for everyone else.

Naruto grinned with relief, then he felt a pang of hunger. As if to emphasize this his stomach growled in complaint. He hadn't had ramen in… Four hours. That was longer than it should ever be.

He headed toward the shop of his prayers for the second time that day. He sniffed, aromas drifted through the air around the structure.

The blonde hastily took a seat, the same one as before. Yanking Kyuubi off his perch he settled him on the counter, looking like his dignity was lowered a notch. Almost immediately the shop owner came to the front, recognizing them instantly. His smile was genuine.

"Hello, boys." He said, grabbing two filled bowls, like he was expecting them, and setting them in front of the two. "Here for another round?"

Naruto laughed. "Why not?" He shoved his hand into a pocket of his pants, rummaging around. "This time the one who's paying is-"

"Me, I believe." Said a gruff, but unmistakable voice from behind him. Naruto whipped around, earning him a whiplash.

* * *

"Excuse me, Shikkaku?" The shadow jutsu user drew his gaze away form the clear blue sky, to look into another clear blue. _Now what?_

"Hello, Minato. What can I do for you? I don't have to do another mission right?" He sighed lazily, getting up into a sitting position. "I've been going nonstop these past few days. It's rather exhausting."

The blonde shook his head. " No, nothing like that. I need to know if you've seen a young man walking around. Blonde with streaks of red, around eighteen or nineteen. Carries a small fox on his shoulder. Has a weird feeling around him-"

"Like he's gonna kill you right then and there?" The lazy ninja finished for him. He nodded. "Yes, I've seen him. I even talked to the kid. He's quite an interesting young fellow."

Minato was taken back. "Really? Did he do anything out of the ordinary?"

"No. But we scheduled a little afternoon to talk. From a first glance I could tell he knows how to live." _Like me. _He stretched his arms above his head, resting them behind his head. Slowly he fell back so that he was laying against the tree trunk behind him. He closed his eyes with a sigh.

Minato stood there a moment still expecting more. Shikkaku opened one eye halfway. The blonde asked, "Well…?"

"Well…"

"Where did he go!?"

The lazy ninja just shrugged, closing his eye once more. "I dunno. I don't baby-sit." Minato's shoulders slumped. "I'd check the ramen shop a couple blocks over though, he seemed like a hungry fellow to me." Minato straightened abruptly. With a smile he was off, a flash of yellow among the dull world.

"Thanks Shikkaku!"

The lazy ninja just sighed. Again. He went back to his thinking. "Uptight village. We need more people who know how to relax." He muttered.

* * *

Kakashi wanted to hit Obito so hard that his face would fall off. It was the sixth time he had asked the same simple question that he couldn't answer.

"Where do you think that man, Nar-whatever his name is- went off to?"

Kakashi clenched his hands into fists so he wouldn't walk up to the Uchiha and choke him to death. He'd decided that he would try not to attack him verbally and physically, if that was really possible. So instead he remained quiet except for answering the same question with his same answer. "I don't know."

He was starting to hate those words greatly.

"Hey Kakashi, wher-" Obito started.

"If you even finish that sentence tomorrow you'll wake up with your vocal cords cut out and gone." Kakashi stared straight ahead.

"Okay, jeez. I was just asking." Obito replied offensively. He crossed his arms behind his head, sighing. "Anyway, Rin I wanna ask you something."

Rin turned toward him. "Ask what?" It looked like to Kakashi that Rin wanted him to ask a specific question. It was easy to see that they liked each other, but both were to scared to even bring it up. The way they glimpsed at the other when he or she wasn't looking, only to glance away quickly as they looked their way.

Kakashi sighed. _Love-struck fools._

"Well, for one thing why you said that that guy was safe and trustworthy. How would you know?"

Rin smiled slightly as she shrugged. "He just seemed like that kind of person. A person who gets along with everyone in one way or another. He has that feel to him 'ya know? The feeling of safe. If there is a pure feeling like that." She looked up at the sky. "He reminds me of someone I know."

"Who!?" Obito asked curiously. Rin just laughed and kept walking. Obito's lower lip stuck out as he pouted. "I wonder who this person is."

Kakashi rolled his eyes. "C'mon guys, I'm hungry." He headed down a certain road.

"Let's get some ramen! I haven't had some since Kushina took us and that was two months ago." Rin nodded in agreement at the Uchiha's suggestion.

"Fine. But next time I choose." The three teammates turned a corner and stopped when they heard a loud, low laugh. They stared at the scene. There in sitting next to each other was the suspicious character that had been reported missing and their Hokage. Which was strange because the Hokage only left the tower and Konoha for important matters. He definitely didn't go out just to have a meal with a supposed criminal.

The low laugh had belonged to the old man, who was listening to the story the boy was describing. The red fox was on the counter with its paws over its head as if it was trying to drown out the teen's babble. They could hear what the blonde was saying since he was talking incredibly loud.

"-and I thought it was going to eat us! Me and this little fart right here. Just as it was closing its enormous mouth on us I realize that if I die than I couldn't eat ramen anymore! And a life without ramen is a sad one. Ya know? So then I took the extra cactus and threw it inside the mouth! The big thing screamed out in pain and I imagine it was really painful; lots of splinters. So anyway, once it was distracted me and Kyube threw the chair that wasn't smashed at it, so it lost its balance and fell over the edge. After all that excitement we went to the nearest ramen shop and ate our heart's content! It was the most beautiful thing in the world!" At the end of the tale the boy was grinning from eye to eye; like a happy fool. The Hokage chuckled as the boy finished and started slurping the ramen out of his bowl.

The three figures started forward again as the story concluded. They immediately walked up behind the blonde.

"Where have you been, mister?" Rin scolded, putting her hands on her hips. "We've been trying to find you for hours!" The fire in her eyes showed her anger, but they didn't conceal the worry. "You had us worried sick!"

"Yeah!" Obito put in. "What she said!"

Kakashi shook his head. _This is really weird. And if my calculations are correct than it's going to get even weirder soon. _Instead of partaking in the conversation he decided to take a seat next to the Hokage, order a bowl, and watch the fireworks explode.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yes, mother." He frowned and put up with Rin's rants, slurping in his ramen occasionally. "Sheesh, you're worst than that old fart over there." He motioned to the fox on the table. "He's so over protective. Says he's always the one to bail me out. He may act like he doesn't care, but I'm his whole world."

Kakashi, glancing at the fox, noticed that his eyes were blazing with anger, all focused on the blonde._ Ooh, this'll go well._ In a flash the fox launched himself at his 'owner,' a red blur in the air. He made his target.

He latched himself onto the blonde's hand. Pressing down so hard. So hard in fact that Kakashi was shocked to see the man's hand was bleeding. As was Rin and Obito. The Hokage looked on quietly and observantly.

Rin gasped. "Your hand! It's bleeding!" She rushed to the man's side immediately. "Here, give it to me. I'll heal it."

The man didn't notice her. He was staring at the fox with narrowed eyes. "Why do you enjoy causing me pain? Why is your whole purpose of life is to spoil mine?" He asked dully and plainly. The fox bit down harder. The blonde turned to the three genin. "See this. This is what real love is. True family beats your enemies in the art of pain"

The three kids just stared at him as he tried to shake the fox off his hand. In the end he took his fist and banged the fox right on the head, forcing him to let go. Kakashi's eyes widened at the sight of the man's bleeding hand. Though the bandages already wrapped around the man's hand seemed to be soaking up most of the blood, it would quickly become useless.

_Why doesn't he freak out?_ The silver haired thought, looking at the calm young man sitting not even two seats away. _Why doesn't he care that his hand is bleeding, or that it might get infected soon if he doesn't get it clean?_

"Aw, now the meal is ruined." He turned to the fox. "I hate you." The fox simply sat down on his haunches and started making quick powerful licks to his red chest, trying to clean off some sort of invisible dirt. "And we were having such a good time, too. I was gonna tell the Old Man about the first time we went to the Cloud village."

Again Rin tried to heal him. "Here let me stop the bleeding. We gotta clean it before it gets infected." He stopped her holding his good hand up.

"There is no need." He stated simply. "It won't get infected."

_What is he talking about?_

"What are you talking about?" Rin asked, repeating what Kakashi was thinking. No one, not even Kakashi had ever refused her help. "An open wound wi-"

"No it won't. Well at least, not for me." The young blonde turned to the man behind the counter. "Could you get me a towel or something, I gotta wipe all this off before it dries."

The shop owner nodded, though a little bit surprised to see one of his customers bleeding. He left and then came back a second later. Handing his the towel he returned to the back, most likely the avoid the sight of the blood. All the while, Kakashi had noticed, the Hokage had watched with a quiet interest. Just as he had been doing for the past moments.

Even as Naruto started to clean his hand Rin objected openly. "It would be much better if you let me do that for you."

The blonde shook his head. " It's alright. The bleeding already stopped. And if I'm correct the wound should have close by now."

"That's impossible! For a wound to he-" Rin stopped in her tracks as he revealed his fully healed hand, though it was still covered in bloody bandages. He took those off and tossed them aside, using the towel to rub off all the blood that was still left.

"Ugh. I'm gonna need to take a shower after this."

Kakashi was shocked as a person could be. The wound, which had been new and fresh, was now gone. All in a matter of minutes. _How in the world…_

Obito exploded. "HOW IN HELLS DID YOU DO THAT!" His voice was so loud that a few passer-bys looked their way, only to look away catching the Hokage's eye. The fox winced, jerking his head back. Kakashi had to hit his ear with his palm, checking if he could still hear properly.

_Freaking loud mouth._

Naruto shrugged. "I've always been the one to heal fast. It's been an uncanny talent of mine. Same with this little booger. Plus, I've had worse." He flicked good hand toward the small fox who snarled at the name given him. Rin stood before them, mouth open wide with surprise.

"That's incredible! It's a little weird how fast it is, but still!" She yelled with excitement. "Do you know how you do it? If you do than it could do such much in the medical arts! You gotta tell me! Please!"

"I honestly don't know how it works. I'm sorry. I've been like that every since I was a small kid." Naruto apologized to the girl. She pouted. "Cheer up! You guys in the are doing great in medicine nowadays! You'll improve it to new heights in the future. Just you wait!"

At his encouraging smile she couldn't help but smile back. She was about to take her seat again when she stopped in her tracks. "Oh no! I totally forgot! Tsunade wanted me to meet up with her and the others today! She's only here for a few weeks and I don't want to miss it!" She asked them for their forgiveness as she hurried off toward a pathway going north. Waving she called out. "Bye everyone! Kakashi! Obito! Naruto! Hokage-sama!"

Kakashi had finished his meal and pulled out some money to pay when he noticed the look on the strange man's face. It held shock, surprise, and… it looked like hope. As soon as they had crossed the man's face the expression fled and was replaced with the usual goofy smile it held. Hiding all his other emotions behind. The fox hadn't been affected at all and it jumped on the man's head and flopped down. The Hokage's mouth twitched as he caught sight of the two, but Kakashi could see the suspicious in the man's eyes. He also had seen the countenance of the young man's face.

To Kakashi's surprise Naruto started walking away from the stand. He blinked with surprise. He looked over at the Third and saw confused amusement in his eyes.

"Hey! Where the hell do you think you're going?!" Obito yelled after him. Naruto turned and smiled at them.

"What does it look like? Someone's looking for me and I want to have a good chase. It sounds pretty fun right about now. And don't you go telling anyone I was here!" He yelled back to them. He grinned madly and jogged away. The fox bouncing on his head from the movements.

The three ninja's heard a small chuckle. They all turned to see the shop owner wiping a wet bowl staring after the strange man.

"He's an odd one. That he is. He has a good heart; which is pretty hard to find these days." The man stopped wiping the bowl and picked up the bill and their empty bowls and went to put them away. When he returned they were still there. Still staring at the place where Naruto had disappeared to. "He may be a suspicious figure in the eyes of a ninja, but sometimes you ninja's are too paranoid. No disrespect. It just takes a new pair of eyes to see something in a new point of view."

Three pairs of eyes turned to look at him as his smiled. Before anyone could make a comment there was a burst of yellow and leaves. Minato was standing before them looking side to side. He groaned when he didn't seem to find what he was looking for and finally noticed them all sitting there. He bowed respectfully to the Third and asked urgently, "Have you seen him?"

"Yes, indeed we have." The Third Hokage replied pleasantly. "I treated him to some ramen a few moments ago. He even told me a delightful story."

"What? He told you a story? I'm guessing you didn't even try to capture him…"

"Oh no. That is your job. You've got to learn how to deal with these situations yourself so your ready to take on the title of Hokage. " It had been announced a while back Minato would be the next Hokage, not to anyone's surprise. He was a smart and strong man. Although the Third had been training him hard since the beginning, he still seemed to have a kick with this teasing of his. "But I do have a message for you from the boy."

Obito and Kakashi exchanged looks, Naruto didn't mention any message when they were there. Obito shrugged to his silver haired friend. _Hmm…Maybe it was before they came._

"A message… For me?" Minato was genuinely surprised.

"Yes indeed. He said, if my memory serves me right, 'Catch me if you can'."

Obito burst out laughing once those words were out of his mouth. After a moment Kakashi joined in, with a small chuckle on the Third's account. Minato's eye twitched as they laughed.

"Is he playing with me? And you two shouldn't be laughing! You do know that I control how and what we practice!"

The two boys stopped laughing immediately but the Third chuckled more at the boy's silence. "Minato, he went off toward the forest. You may just as well take these two with you too. They may come in handy." He laughed inwardly. " And remember. Sometimes life is a game and you just have to go with the flow."

* * *

It was the worst of her luck that Hanabi had to be assigned to guard Hinata. Talk about a worthless mission. It wasn't that she didn't like her sister, it was just that it was pointless. Hinata had become one of the most powerful in the Hyuga clan. Father had never been so proud of her.

Ever since he'd stopped yelling at her and telling her she was worthless Hinata had progressed faster than anyone anticipated. No longer was she the same insignificant and powerless girl that Hanabi first had thought of her. Yes, she still blushed every time the Uzumaki kid's name popped up and still twiddled her fingers when the spotlight was turned on her. But that was just her. She didn't stutter anymore, though she still had her soft voice. Always filled with concern.

There were four of them that had volunteered to scout ahead. Hinata, Neji, Konohamaru, and herself. The three Hyuga teens were ahead of the spiky haired boy, with their bloodline activated. The four had adopted a diamond shaped alignment with Neji taking front, Hinata and Hanabi taking to the sides, and Konohamaru behind them.

During the whole time they were scouting the Sarutobi kid hadn't said one word. He just ran with them, his black eyes focused on all that was around them, always alert for danger. Hanabi herself couldn't see what he was thinking because covered the bottom half of his face with that scarf of his. And of course his eyes showed no emotion whatsoever. She couldn't believe that he was once an exact copy of the infamous Naruto Uzumaki, Konoha's Number One Unpredictable Knuckle-Headed Ninja. He was just to blank, there was no other word for it.

He was 'handsome' as most of the girls she knew called him, ninja and citizens alike. With his black, mysterious eyes, that were shadowed by bangs of dark brown almost black, colored hair. A Konoha headband wrapped around his forehead as it usually did. Wearing dull grey pants, just like everyone else. A simple light blue shirt, with the village symbol imprinted on it. Strapped across his chest, from top right shoulder to lower left hip, was an holder for a shuiken. He kept it on at all times, even if he wasn't on missions. He still wore his old dark blue scarf around his neck, its tip ending right to his ankles. He looked like an average person to her. A regular ninja teenager of fifteen, almost sixteen.

But of course, to all the other girls he was mouthwatering. She just couldn't see it. Really she couldn't. Besides she liked to focus on missions, allowing no hints of mistake. She couldn't think about boys, now that was just plain crazy.

"I see nothing to the east." Hanabi said, doing a one-eighty with her Byakugan. What she said was true, there was nothing to be seen. All that was out in this area was trees, trees, and more trees.

"I see the same to the west. Nothing." Hinata reported. Eyes searching the landscape.

Neji nodded. "I have the same. Konohamaru, do you sense anything?" He asked the quiet teen, who shook his head

Hanabi rolled her eyes. She was told that he was great at sensing chakra miles away, but she didn't believe it. Nothing could beat her blood limit at spotting chakras, no mater what anyone said. She was the best.

"Very well, then." Neji stopped, and the rest stopped as well. "We're are about twenty miles from the rest. If nothing's jumped out at us this far, then I highly doubt anything will."

"But Neji," Hinata sounded worried, as usual. "what if we're wrong? Shouldn't we at least scout along ahead just a little more just to be sure?" Hanabi saw the small incline movement of Sarutobi's head nodding. "Just to be safe?"

Neji thought about it, finally he nodded. "Fine with me, but Shikamaru said to scout twenty miles and then report back to him. Although I don't wish to do it without the rest of you, I will head back there and bring the rest of the group here. You three may scout farther, and then we can all meet up here."

With saying that Neji sprinted away from the trio who continued of their path with Hinata taking lead. They continued on with an easy pace looking at their surroundings closely. After a while Hanabi seemed to loose interest in her actions, so to speak she was getting incredibly bored. She looked at the area with disinterest and soon Hinata noticed. She smiled lightly, knowing full well that a girl at that age got distracted and bored easily.

"Hanabi why don't you go search the place were we heard water, I want to know if there's a river over there." She saw the girl's eyes light up, but her lip went out in a pout when Hinata continued on. "You too Konohamaru."

"Oka- Wait, I have to stay with you." The teen said with some authority. "I have to stay and protect you."

Hinata gave her a look. 'You've got to be kidding me' is what the look said to all who saw it. "I think I can mange. Plus, I am more than capable to look after myself."

Hanabi smirked, " Oh I know. Blame father." With saying so she stopped for an instant and sprinted toward the area Hinata had pointed to. The Hyuga heiress looked at the younger boy she was left with.

"Aren't you going?" She raised an eyebrow at him. He simply looked at her and nodded. He took off after the girl without another glance in her direction.

Hinata sighed, blushing as she thought about a certain someone.

Hanabi didn't even have to even glance behind her to know that Sarutobi had easily caught up with her. He silently ran next to her. It didn't take long till they heard a sound of running water. Soon they found themselves on a river bank. The grass slowly, yet gradually, turning into soft sand as it got nearer to the bank. A small mist formed at the water, soaking the rocks that jutted out of its depts.

Hanabi breathed in the thick air, the wind blowing in her face, making her hair tangled. She smiled slightly, small enough that Sarutobi wouldn't see. She loved water. Any kind of water, salty or clear. It didn't matter to her. She loved how it would lap against the sandy banks, or how it would soak her feet as she sat near the edge of the land. How the coolness would make your skin feel fresh after a hard workout. All of it comforted her.

Sarutobi walked to the waters edge and looked up and down the bank. "Nothing out of the ordinary here. No chakras either." He turned back at her. "Shall we report back?"

Hanabi rolled her eyes. "We haven't done a real search. Besides, we still have at least five minutes until the whole group gathers."

She started walking up the bank. She could feel Sarutobi's eyes on the back of her head, watching her. "If you're just going to stand there go ahead, but I on the other hand am going this way."

"…" Hanabi sighed. _I swear._

She had gone a little far off when he suddenly appeared next to her in a flash. He wasn't there one minute and in the next he was. The Hyuga made a little jump in fright.

"DON'T DO THAT! YOU WANNA SCARE ME SHITLESS!" She hollered, trying to put as much space as possible between them.

Sarutobi replied with a straight face. "It's not my fault you're unobservant."

Hanabi's eyebrow twitched in an irritated fashion. Calling a Hyuga 'unobservant' was a tasteless joke. "Do that again I'll hit you into the next nation."

The brown headed teen seemed to find that amusing. His eyes slightly brightened. "Really…? Maybe I can visit some friends of mine. It'll save me the trouble of walking."

Hanabi cracked her knuckles dangerously.

Sarutobi snickered at her left. At her right. Left. Right. And then lef-right…. Left again.

Hanabi glowered at him, or at least flashes of him. He only stood there for a second, smirking at her mischievously, then disappear so she wouldn't be able to hit him.

"You know that you won't be able to do this all day, you have to sleep sometime." Hanabi threatened.

He appeared next to her with his arm around her shoulders. "Ooh. I'm touched that you'd even go anywhere near me."

The pale eyes girl crossed her arms. She was annoyed. The one time he opens up and no one else is around, and that's when she wants to cause him as much pain as possible. _Dammit._ "Wow, you're an emotional mess."

Sarutobi looked at her. "Why would you say that?" He still didn't remove his hand off of her shoulders. She didn't try and force them off, setting her trap.

"Well, first you're all sulky, then you cut off all emotion, and now here you are smiling like an idiot when I'm only here to see it."

He shrugged. She felt his arm slightly flex at he movement. "What can I say, you bring the better out of me"

Hanabi took her shot. Quickly before he could react, she took her hand, whipped it back and smacked him in the back of the head.

"Ow." He rubbed his head gently, not wincing at all.

"I have yet to bring out the better of you. So shut up." She walked forward, his hand slipping off her shoulder.

"That was very hurtful."

"Well in that case… No apology for you."

"You are a very mean girl."

"Oh, go fall in a ditch." She replied as she stuck her tongue out. She sped up her pace and followed the river upstream. "I'm going out on ahead."

She knew he wasn't following her and as she looked back without breaking her pace to find out she was right. He was still standing there staring after her, hands in his pockets, the scarf swaying slightly behind him. She smirked, "Try not getting into trouble while I'm gone. I know it sounds impossible, but at least try."

After following the river she came to a clearing with some small trees with yellowish leaves. The river itself was connected to a medium sized lake in the middle of the open space. The mass of water seemed to glitter in the sunlight. She scanned the area with her bloodline and once she saw it enemy free she admired the beauty of the area. It looked untouched by humans, even the animals seemed to be cautious of what they did here. They were still there but it seemed as if they were trying to be careful of not doing anything harmful to the region.

"Beautiful." She looked around once more before she sighed. "I better go. I don't know what the trouble the idiot could've gotten into now." She walked back the way she came, this time following the downstream.

She was surprised-no shocked- to see him nowhere to be seen. She turned her head both ways, but no avail.

Hanabi took in a deep breathe. "SARUTOBI! WHERE THE HELL IS YOUR LITTLE ASS!" Her voice echoed across the area., making a swarm of birds take flight.

Suddenly she heard a small noise. She whipped her head around.

"Huh?" She heard it once more. Then again. It was coming from downstream and across the bank. She immediately went towards the source ignoring the sand at her feet.

She got over the strip of water with one leap, making the other side with a foot or two to spare. She ran into the forest were the origin of the sound had come from . She jogged farther and farther from the river they were suppose to be scouting. She jogged until one of her feet stepped onto nothing.

"Oh fuck." She said to herself, trying to regain her balance by waving her arms into the air. She got her balance under control for a moment and just as it seemed she wouldn't fall she fell a light pressure on the center of her back. That light pressure tipped the balance once more and she tumbled into the hole she had almost escaped.

"That could have gone better." She had landed on her butt at the bottom of the opening, the grounded unusually softer than she expected. She was surprised that a large 'oof' was made as she landed. She looked at what she landed on, coming face to face with Sarutobi. _Holy shi-_

"Hello." He said weakly as she continued sitting on his stomach, blocking the air passageway to his lungs.

"Oh! Sorry!" She hastily removed herself off of him, allowing him to sit up. She noticed he was covered in dirt, his shirt ripped in a place or two. She also noticed a droplet of red sliding down from the side of his forehead. "What happened to you? How in hell did you get down here?!"

Sarutobi rubbed his head gently, rustling his messy hair. "Ugh. Honestly, I can't remember much."

"How can you forget how this," She waved her hand toward the dirt covering him and the blood on his forehead. "happened to you?"

"Well, I wouldn't know would I? Seeing how I can't remember." He answered her question.

"I told you to stay put!"

"Actually you just said to stay out of trouble." He corrected her.

"And look where we are now." She said plainly.

"Well, you told me to find a ditch to jump into. I found a hole." He gave a small crooked smile at this.

She groaned and took a step toward the wall of the hole. "Didn't you hear me calling you?"

"I think everyone throughout time and space heard you."

She ignored the insult. "If you heard me why didn't you call out to me that there was a hole to begin with. It would have saved the trouble of falling in the fucking hole in the first place."

"Well, excuse me your highness. Sorry if I couldn't get a heads up when I'm kinda injured and really fucking confused. How did you not see the hole with your oh so special Byakugan. You guys brag about it all the time, why not use it for once." He said the name of her bloodline with a sarcastic tone, for sure meant to be disrespectful. This only got her angry. Half at his remark and half at the point that it held a grain of truth.

"Okay, who fell in the hole?!" She demanded. He proceeded to look around and smirked in her direction.

"By the looks of it. You did." He said smugly.

Hanabi's eyebrow twitched with anger and irritation. She could almost see his gravestone now. _Jackass…_

She raised her arm silently. Sarutobi paled, knowing what was going to happen, braced himself for what was to come.

Hanabi brought her arm down, hand in a fist. She made contact with his head. Hard.

_WHAM!_

The force of her punch caused the brown haired idiot to go face planted down to the ground. Her arms throbbed, and she was pretty sure there would be a bruise coming soon, maybe the next day._ Damn! His head is so thick!_

But as Hanabi was going to yell at him she was preoccupied by the fact that when he hit the ground there was a small_ crack._ she stopped, as did Sarutobi. He probably heard it as well.

"What. Was. THAT." She asked.

"I don't know." He stamped hard on the surface they were standing on. "But we'll soon find out."

"Why do you say that?" He answered by pointed toward the 'ground'. She looked down with him and saw the small fractures in it and heard the low rumble as those cracks began to deepen into bigger ones.

"Well… This is not good. Not good at all." The boy next to her nodded in agreement and grabbed her hand to pulled her to his side. A fraction of a second latter the ground split open, the once compact dirt crumbling. They didn't have time to react as they fell, their calls were left unspoken, as they fell into the black unknowing.

* * *

**Author's comments:**

**M: Sup people.**

**N: Yo, what up my home skillets.**

**M: Dogs, what you thinkin' not revin'? That's wack, man.**

**N: Straight up.**

**M: That hurts meh, ya' hear? Start revin' or I'll go whoopass on ya' fools.**

**N: Word.**

**M: Ya' hear me!?**

**N: I hear ya', dude.**

**M: Booya. **

**N: Over and out.**


	11. Chapter 11

_Two month has gone and passed._

It was a beautiful day out in Konoha. The sun was out, few clouds were floating about, and all was peaceful.

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

Two blondes made their way through the thick crowds, running like the devil herself was after them. In which case it was.

They brushed past bystanders, who could only glimpse blurs as they passed. It anyone could get a fleeting look they would see that their faces were pale as snow, drained of all color. And see the look of absolute terror in their wide, frightened eyes.

Both created a single dust trail behind them. At the end of these trails was a red haired young woman in a simple black dress hugging her figure. It showed her stomach quite well; which had a small, but noticeable, curve to it. Her pale grey eyes had a furious gleam in them, with thin eyebrows furrowed forward in anger.

People made out of their way as she came striding after the two. No one wanted to get in the way a hormonal pregnant woman.

The smaller figure by an inch or two looked behind them and say their vast approaching doom; he seemed get paler at the sight. He turned toward the other, "She's gaining on us! How can a pregnant woman run so damn fast! It's uncanny!"

"HOW DARE YOU SAY NO! I AM A WOMAN IN NEED OF YOUR STUPID ASSISTANCE AND YOU REJECT ME!"

The pair just ran faster with the woman's shrieked at them. As they ran they saw people recognize them and shout out hellos but the two had no time to reply to them. At one point they passed the Fourth's team and saw the understanding and pity they held when they beheld the woman chasing after them. As they whirled passed them Naruto could hear Rin's small murmur. "Again? You guys should have learned after last time."

Naruto kept seeing the same buildings and scenery over again and concluded that they were running in circles.

**Yo. **The voice appeared deep in his mind as he continued running. **What up?**

_What up?! Nothing much… I'm just running for my life! That's what's up! _He bellowed at the fox demon with his mind.

He heard a low and irked sigh. **What did you do this time to Kushina no Bitch? **He asked his holder warily, adding the insulting name with some amusement.

_Nothing! She asked if me and my 'dad' would help her put some old boxes out of some room in her house. We had a appointment with the Old Man and a mission we would be going on so we told her no. Then the fucking hormones kicked in and now we are running for our pathetic lives. _The boy explained. _Where are you?_

**Hmmm… That is an excellent question. **

_You don't know? _The blonde asked with some amusement, for a moment forgetting the situation he was in.

**I will in a moment. I was sleeping in the bathroom in that apartment they gave us and- **He paused for a moment and laughed. **Hey! I'm in the Hokage's office, on the window sill! What a coincidence… Now how did I end up here?**

_Oh. Can you tell him that we will be a tad late for our appointment?_

**Firstly, I can't do that since I'm not able to speak with him without blowing our cover. Second, I just don't want to because I hate you.**

_Well… This blows._

**HEY! I see you! You look funny all small and terrified like that. Woah… The woman can run fast, I mean she's PREGNANT! **He chuckled darkly. **Do you think the Hokage would be mad if I pissed all over his papers and office?**

_Ugh… Yeah. I swear to Kami, if you do that I will hurt you. I don't wanna hear anyone bitch to me about you pissing all over their stuff._

**Okay it's settled. I'm doing it!**

_WHAT?! No!_

**I don't think you can stop me with your running for your life thing going on. **

_You_- He stopped abruptly as something tripped him to the ground. He had been slowing down as he was talking. He landed with his face in the dirt. He sat up, spitting out dirt, to look at what had made him fall. _Oh, Fuck._

"WHY ARE YOU RUNNING FROM ME YOU LITTLE SHIT!" Kushina screamed into his ears, popping them, as she socked him. "I AM PREGNANT AND YOUR MAKING ME RUN! ALL I ASKED IS FOR YOU TO HELP ME BUT YOU GO OFF RUNNING!"

He tried explaining. "But I-"

"-I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR PATHETIC EXCUSES! YOU AND MINATO JUST LEFT ME! WHERE IS THAT MAN!? I HAVE TO DEAL WITH HIM TOO!"

"We have a miss-"

"-HOW DARE YOU TWO JUST LEAVE ME ALL ALONE! ALL YOU HAVE TO DO WAS TAKE A FEW EXRTA MINUTES TO HELP ME!" She cut him off abruptly, swinging her hand in the air. Barely missing Naruto's head.

**Damn… She's crazy.**

_You said it, not me._

The blonde closed his eyes waiting for the pain to come in the form of a fist, but then an angel's voice was heard not far off.

"Dear Kushina what may I ask is the matter?" A ruff but soft voice said. "And why is poor Naruto on the floor looking like he's ready to accept his death sentence?"

**Ooh! Your ass is saved bitch.** Naruto sighed, gladly opening his eyes to see Old Man Third walking up behind Kushina, setting a wrinkled hand on her shoulder.** Now, I regret soiling his papers. Not much, but still.**

The Old Man continued. "My dear, what is going on here? Please explain." Kushina looked like she was going to start yelling again, but the Third wouldn't have it. "As quietly and as civilized as possible. No rude words."

Kushina pouted. "Fine. Earlier I was rummaging around my house when I came across some boxes. There were a few and they looked a little heavy, and I didn't want to do anything that could harm the baby, so I found Naruto and Minato. So I asked them if they could help and they said no and then they just ran off. No explanations whatsoever." She finished by shooting a glare in Naruto's direction.

The Old Man looked at her calmly. "I see. Well then, Naruto shall we hear your side?"

Naruto shook his head, glancing in Kushina's direction. "I'd rather not." He knew anything he would say would upset her. It was best to stay silent. He looked around cautiously; Minato was nowhere in sight. _Lucky Bastard._

"Very well then." He turned toward the pregnant woman. "How about I send some helpers to assist you. How does that sound?"

"Okay!" The change was dramatic. A smile lit up the woman's face, making her features rosy. Patting her belly Kushina waved them goodbye, turned and walked away, a bounce in her step. "I'll see you all later!"

The Third turned his head to look at him, while busily brushing himself off. He smiled slightly with understanding. "This happens to all the pregnant woman. The moods swings are quite a handful, but eventual they pass. Every man dreads dealing with this."

**Hot damn that's funny! Foxes and demons don't go through that. I am so fucking happy!**

"Yeah. I am staying clear for her for a while." The blonde replied as he spotted another figure walk toward them. His 'father' approached with a nervous smile on his face. The younger man, with a frown on his face, brought his fist up into the air and shook it at the man. "You left me! You left me to deal with that craziness! She's carrying your child so you deal with it!"

The man shrugged apologetically. "Sorry. I shouldn't have left you like that. For the matter being, she scares the death out of me." He sighed, looking away. "If I can't face her now I can't see how I'll able to be a good father."

Naruto doubted that the older man meant for them to hear. The statement itself had made his stomach give a small tug. The mature teen clutched at his stomach where the seal was as, his brows knitted together. The other men didn't seem to take any notice.

"Don't worry Minato! You'll be a wonderful father!" The old man told him with a grin. "Just you wait."

"Yeah, well, we should be going." He seemed to be at ease as he heard those words. Naruto hid his emotions behind an emotionless mask and started walking in the direction of the Hokage tower. He heard laughter behind him as the men misinterpreted his action. "It looks as if Naruto is excited for the mission and is to impatient for us old folks!"

_A good father. Yeah, look at the past years of my life._ Naruto thought bitterly.

**Hey Kit, it's not his fault that your life has been a real bowl of shit. Only partly.**

_You make his sound like he wanted that to happen in the first place. Do you think he chose for him to seal you in me and die?_

**Honestly I don't know and I don't care. All I know is that it's all his fault I'm here with you.**

_Yeah, but-_

**He's the reason you were condemned from the other villagers from age five.**

_I Know-_

**He's the reason you've had to go through all this pain.**

_That's true-_

**He's the reason your friends were targeted in the first place. The reason they were threatened. The reason you had to LEAVE!** The Kyuubi finished bellowing in the blonde's mind.

_ALL RIGHT! Yes, yes I know. It's all his fault that we're together in the first place. That doesn't mean he wanted it in the first place! Do you think he wanted to leave me!_

**You shouldn't be asking me that. I honestly don't know. You should be asking 'Do you?'**

Naruto's mind froze for a millisecond, then it went to full gear trying not to miss a beat in his step. Showing nothing to the people of the outside world what was going on through his head.

The Kyuubi waited for an answer but didn't receive one, just the blonde's silence.

**You don't know what to think of him, do you? Ever after these passing months you still don't. You're trying to decide whether you hate or love him, but you don't know.** The Kyuubi chuckled over the matter.** Trying to decipher what people have said about him and what you're experiencing by hanging around him. Whether he's the all great Yellow Flash or just a worthless piece of shit. **From their link Naruto could feel the fox stretch and jump down from the window sill. The blonde could almost see the demon make his way silently amidst the crowd, weaving himself about the feet of many.

**Personally I think he's a douche, but hey, that's just me. If it was all up to me he'd be dead by now, as well as everyone in this village.** The Kyuubi laughed at something he saw, but Naruto caught a glimpse of a crying child with a bleeding hand through his thoughts. The kid was playing with his parent's kunai, even though they probably said not to. **Again, that's just me.**

_I don't need you to influence my opinion of anyone. Now shut up and get over here._

"**I'm already here."** Said a sly voice right at his ear, followed by a familiar weight on his shoulder.

Naruto barely resisted the urge to jump. He hated how the Kyuubi could sneak up on him at the most random of times.

"Stupid fox." He muttered crossly. "Do that again and I'll dye your hair pink."

"**I'd like to see you try."** Came the quiet hiss. Then the fox continued. **"Remember, it only takes one kunai to the throat to kill a man."** He turned his furred head around to look back behind them where Minato was running to catch up to them, the old man not far behind. Naruto turned his stoic face into one of indifference. He would consider all these options of the possible future.

"Hey, Naruto!" He heard Minato call to him as he jogged next to Naruto. He matched his speed easily, still talking. "We've been calling you to wait for some time. What's on your mind that's got you so distracted?"

The Third had joined them by this time and nodded. Naruto looked at them and reached his right hand across his body to stroke the Kyuubi's fur.

"I've been thinking about… family."

**Killing too.**

"Oh!" He could see the surprise evident on their faces; as well as the eagerness to learn more about him. "What about your family? Where are they? If you don't mind me asking."

"My birth parents are dead."

"I'm so sorry to here that." The blonde looked down.

**You would be sorry to hear that! It's you, you dumb bastard!**

"Nah, it's okay. I never knew them so it doesn't matter. I have my own family now. I found it all by myself; it took some time, but I got it." He smiled slightly as he continued to pet the fox on his left shoulder. He thought of all the missions he had with his friends, the quiet conversations with Gaara, the times Iruka-sensei treated him to ramen, chasing Ero-senin around the village, running away from a peeved Tsunade or Sakura, and the battles with Sasuke.

"Oh…okay. Why aren't you with them now? Why come here?" The old man left all the question asking to Minato and was content with listening.

"I left them to save them. I actually didn't have a choice." The old teen looked up at the clear blue sky, reliving all that had happened to him. "I would have left even if I had to choice. I mean, they were in danger. I couldn't live with myself if someone I cared about got hurt because of me. Though I can't help but miss them."

"…" No one seemed to want to interrupt the young man in his sad memories. The three walked in silence for a while until the oldest of the trio decided to speak up.

"What was the danger, if it's not to much to ask?"

The young blonde seemed to shrink as the question came out of his lips. He looked up at them with his red eyes that held a look that you usually see on a frightened child. They looked innocent, but at the same time held years of pain that someone so young shouldn't go through. The small fox on his shoulder didn't seem as menacing as it usually did when it looked at Naruto's face. He pushed itself against his neck and wrapped it's tail around it. The tail taped around the neck once and the tip lightly tickled the blonde's cheek. One side of his lips twitched, but turned into a serious frown as he laid his sad red eyes back on the two men.

"The danger was me."

* * *

The Kyuubi chuckled maliciously as the trio of humans went on toward their destination, not really caring where they went off to. After the kid's statement they hurriedly went to a new topic, trying not to get into an uncomfortable and awkward silence. Though the Kyuubi knew that they wanted more information on the kid, it was written plainly on there faces, but they chose to keep quiet.

The Kyuubi loved playing with the kid's emotions. It was just so damn easy. He was a simple human after all. And he was the almighty Kyuubi No Kitsune. He could handle a simple knuckle headed kid.

_**So easy.**_ He thought quietly to himself. He chuckled to himself again, this time not bothering to keep it in a low volume. He felt the blonde slightly stiffen underneath him, clearly hearing rough.

"Don't do anything stupid." The kid whispered to him urgently and forcefully. The demon just rolled his eyes.

_**What would the most powerful demon fox do that was stupid? Kill people? That isn't stupid, that's fun. **_The fox stretched, arching his back like a cat. He stopped in mid stretch.

Suddenly he felt a disturbance not far off, out of the village. He could feel two familiar, yet unknown chakras pop into existence and then abruptly conceal themselves. It was such an important event and doubted anyone else knew what had occurred. Although, he knew what had happened. He had felt it.

The fox finished the stretch that he had broke off, noticing that the boy hadn't even twitched. Even though the blonde made no action to say that he felt it; the fox took one quick look in his mind to find out that the boy had indeed felt it. He swung his head to the other figures and saw nothing that gave way to what they were thinking. He unsheathed his claws and dug them into the shoulder he was perched on to get the young man's attention.

_**Hmmm… Maybe today won't be as boring as I thought.**_ He projected his thoughts now so Naruto could hear them. **What do you suppose it is? Do you think it will be something we could kill? I hope it is. **Despite thinking his answer like the demon thought he would, he broke off he conversation with the other men and looked sternly at the fox.

"No. Bad fox." The boy scolded him; as if he was his master. This made the demon angry and he showed it with his bristling. He bit Naruto in the ear, making Naruto yelp. That is until Naruto finished. "Maybe if I let him stroll around awhile it will ease his mind."

"Does he always act so… violent?" The person who had sealed his doom was by the name of Minato.

The boy shrugged. "It's what he does best I guess. Ever since I've known this little bastard he was a violent one. I think it's just that he doesn't know the people here and the surrounding area." He gave them a big smile. "Animals can be such a burden some times, but they are worth it in my eyes."

Naruto then grabbed the demon around his torso and held him in front of him with the fox's legs dangling. The fox looked at him with intelligent eyes, knowing what the Kit was doing. He cocked his head to the side, making it seem like he was just an animal not knowing what was going on. Naruto smiled, knowing what he was doing.

"Now you be good and don't go causing any trouble. When your done come straight back okay. No detours. But if you aren't back by nightfall then I'm going to pummel you into the ground." He gave fox a smile that showed all his white teeth. The fox returned it with a evil, knowing smile.

He then proceeded to swipe at the blonde's hand with his still unsheathed claws. He landed on all fours when he dropped to the ground, dust getting upturned where he landed. He shook his pelt trying to get the dust particles out of his fur. Carrying an expression like an emperor looks at his empire he walked down the street; going the opposite direct as them.

"What an amusing companion you have." His ears twitched as he heard the quiet laughter behind him. Another twitch signaled that they had continued walking.

"Try not to pay much attention to him. He likes the attention and sometimes it makes him all the more violent." He heard the small laughter at the back of his mind link with the blonde.

He stopped and looked behind him at the retreating figures. He smiled evilly as an idea came to him. _**That boy is such a fuck-head.**_ He barked loud enough that the men heard and as small blonde looked his way he shook his butt and the tail connecting to it at the boy. He stuck his tongue out at the little Meatbag and couldn't help but see the small twitch of the mouth Naruto tried to hide. With his idea over and done with he turned he head facing once again forward, kicked up some dirt at the men with each back leg and bounced down the street. He didn't even look back to see what the two other men's expressions were; he knew they had seen what he had done, but just kept on walking.

As he walked down the streets he heard many conversations taking place-about love, divorce, missions, the days, and such. The Kyuubi didn't care much, they were just idiotic humans making waste of their day. He continued on, now in a soft trot, passing the market where humans bought and sold their pathetic food and merchandise. Kyuubi snorted.

_**They can't even rely on themselves to catch their own food. They're so weak that they have to eat leafy plants. How pathetic.**_ He chuckled.

The streets from then on had no real value. They were just homes of the stupid villagers, nothing important. As he passed a group of children he noticed that there was something going on with them. He stopped, sitting, and watched what was happening.

There in front of him were nine kids near around the same age of six or seven surrounding something. Something smaller and wimpier. Narrowing his eyes he found it out to be a younger child of five. He looked on as one of the older kids grabbed hold of the smaller kid's shirt; another kid started talking to the five-year old. The kid, upon hearing these words, burst out crying. His tears smearing his dirty face. The other kids, seeing how he was finally broken, dispersed. Probably off to their happy lives, not even thinking of what pain and misery they had caused the small child.

The small demon didn't know how to react as he watched the boy cry his heart out. He looked around, not one person came to the boy's aid or to comfort him.

He would have walked away, not even taking another look behind him. That would have been the right thing to do, but oddly enough that wasn't what he did.

_**Ugh…I'm going to totally regret this.**_

He trotted to the small child's side and sat on his haunches. He barked lightly, trying to make his face and his actions as non-threatening as possible. It was a tough job, being innocent, but the fox knew he pulled it off when the boy looked up. He first looked frightened , but a small smile lit his face up as he gazed at the Kyuubi. Swallowing his pride he stuck his tongue out in a sort of pant and wagged his fluffy tail. He barked once more as he stepped toward the boy.

The boy stroked his fur as he nuzzled his side. The small child sniffled and laughed slightly when the Kyuubi licked his cheek.

"You not gonna pick on me too?" His speech was quite good for a boy so young.

"**I'm not that kinda fox." **The Kyuubi had a hard time to keep a straight face when he said the lie. He had decided that it didn't matter if he spoke out loud with the kid, he was only five so it was highly doubtful he would remember.

The boy gasped loudly. "You can talk?" He wasn't scared, the fox noted interestingly.

The Kyuubi snorted. **"Of course I can talk. Don't all foxes?"**

The little boy shook his head. "I never heard no fox. Besides, people told me that foxes are just stupid animals. They know nothin'." He looked at the fox with narrow eyes. "You lyin' to me?" He asked suspiciously.

Kyuubi was shocked that the boy would dare accuse him, but then had to give out a small groan as he realized what he had said. **"If I was lying then how could I be talking to you right now? And I am not a stupid animal! I am the Kyuubi No Kitsune, Almighty Destroyer, Lord Of Chaos, Killer of-!"**

"If you a demon how come you so small? You don't look strong to me. And why you so nice? Aren't demons supposed to be meanies? You ain't acting like one." The kid interrupted him. He had crossed his arms looking at him distrustfully. The fact that he was wearing raggy clothes, had messy hair that stood out in different angles, was being picked on, had eyes that were full of mischief-he was a mini Naruto! It was like the kid had gone back in time and was reliving his entire life over again. Only this time he didn't have the Kyuubi in him and no one treated him like crap, beside the neighborhood bullies-that happened to be seven year olds.

"Well…?" The kid started tapping his foot on the ground. He looked more grownup and mature than the adults that walked by.

The Kyuubi sighed, shaking his head side to side. **"I am a demon. In fact, I'm the strongest one of them all. Well, at least out of the nine of us. I'm small because that way I won't draw much attention to myself. Being five stories-maybe bigger-high can make people stare. As for my power… I actually have nine tails, each one ranking my strength higher. I don't have them out because-well, again, people would stare. I'm nice because I'm not all mean and evil. That just shows how much people stretch the truth. I find that insulting." **The Kyuubi decided to go all out with the truth. As some people said, it was good to get all these problems out of someone's chest. And heck, he was bored.

When he finished he saw that the boy had sunk all the information in. He actually looked like he was calculating the situation. The Kyuubi almost thought he might be smarter than he had originally given him credit for. The Kyuubi just shook the though away.

_**Yeah right. He's just a stupid kid.**_

"Fine. I guess you're a demon." Then suddenly he smiled a goofy smile, like the one's the blonde made when he was just about his age. "Why don't we play?!" Without waiting for answer he launched himself at the fox, catching him completely unaware, and tackled him to the ground. Then suddenly, he jumped away from him and ran away calling, "Tag, you're it! Ha!" He laughed like a maniac, leaving a stunned Kyuubi.

_**What. The. Hell.**_ The Kyuubi got to his paws and shook himself and looked after the boy, who was surprisingly already a block away. _**Damn little shit. This is the last time I be nice! Never again! Never!**_ With that he barged after the kid, hating that he had to make sure he wasn't doing anything stupid.

He sprinted in the direction of the boy, whizzing past startled citizens. Without any effort he caught up to the boy in a matter of seconds, easily coming up next to him. His movements were agile and neatly paced. To his surprise the kid ran like an expert ninja, as well as having the same speed of one. As he relaxed a bit the kid went soaring off. The Kyuubi snarled, enraged that the kid had the nerve to trick him and humiliated he had been able to. _**Little twerp.**_

He was gone in a moment, out for revenge.

* * *

Naruto was shocked, simply said, when he saw a child racing through the streets passing them with a familiar blur not far behind. He followed them as they flashed by, noticing that Kyuubi looked mighty pissed.

"That's your fox, isn't it?" Minato asked, following them as well with his head.

Naruto nodded, not looking at him or the Old Man.

The kid was probably an orphan like he had been, with his old clothes. He wasn't dirty, but he wasn't the cleanest of kids. He had spiky black hair that stood out in odd directions, with dark black eyes accompanying them, now happy 'U's as he laughed away.

The Kyuubi looked down right pissed. You didn't have to be a genius to figure that out. His claws were out and ready and he ran after the kid, his white teeth showing as he raised his lips in a silent snarl. The usually flat fur was now up and stiff, as was his tail, all fluffed. Ears back, he was dead serious, and mighty cute. Naruto didn't think anyone would stop him. But still he tried.

_What the hell are you doing!?_ He yelled at him mentally. _I though you went to check it out!_

Kyuubi growled. **I was! Then I saw this kid, who then saw me and started petting me! Suddenly he attacks me then yells out 'Tag, you're it!' I wanna get this little shit back!**

Naruto was struck dumb. _You don't have to-_

**I do and I will! I'll finish this THEN I'll get going! Now let me focus on the target!** He cut off there link and all was silent for Naruto.

Naruto put his head in his hands. "My god, what an idiot." He shook his head in his hands, hating the demon more than ever. "I'm gonna kill him later."

He felt a hand pat him on his shoulder. Looking Naruto saw Minato shake his head chuckling slightly. "Seems like you're already a father with your hands full. Seeing how your companion's like."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "He's more like a cousin. Twice removed." That earned him a laugh from the Third. The blonde looked at him. "I'm serious." That just let to the Third laughing even more. Naruto frowned and crossed his arms, not at all like the fact that he was laughing at him. "Lets go." He tried to walk away with dignity, but it didn't help with the Third following behind still laughing.

Soon they were outside the Hokage's building, right at it's doors. The Old Man turned toward the two blondes and explained to them what their mission was.

"I want you two to scout around the village and the area around it. There have been sightings of the strange ninja again, as you know are quite powerful. But now there have been attacks on our own. We can't know what happened until the ninja are well to speak and out of the hospital. Because of this you are permitted to attack. If _necessary._" He looked at Naruto, who had his angel face on. He didn't look like he believed it one bit, which was good. He didn't trust it. Smart man. He set his chin down onto his chest, his thinking pose. The hat that was know on top of his head covered some of his face; making it impossible for people to know what was going on in his head. "Go on now."

The pair left the office without another word. As the door closed behind him Naruto heard the old man mumble, "Why are my papers all wet?"

Naruto, although he wanted to pummel the Kyuubi, couldn't help but laugh at the comment. Minato gave him a stern stare, but Naruto ignored it. He continued to laugh softly as they met up with the Fourth's team.

* * *

_Thump. Thump._

Hanabi woke with a major headache. It wasn't one of those small wimpy ones, but a full monstrosity. She groaned, opening her eyes only to be blinded by the light that shined in her face.

_Thump. Thump._

The Hyuga was puzzled at the sound. The light _thump_ came again, in the same rhythm beat. _Thump. Thump._ There it was again. And again.

A movement underneath instantly told her what the sound was. Her pale eyes widened as she realized that she was on Sarutobi! Konohamaru Sarutobi! Of all people!

_How the hell-!?!_

_Thump. Thump._

She held her breath at his heart beat. She realized even further that her head was on his chest, her ear right over the spot were his heart was. It was deafening.

_Thump. Thump._

Hanabi slowly and gently unclenched her hand, releasing a fistful of his shirt. Her other hand and whole arm was stuck between her body and Konohamaru's. Hanabi allowed herself to shiver as something tightened around her waist. Risking the movement of turning her head she looked to see Konohamaru's hand had snaked around her waist and was holding her at her hip.

Hanabi shut her eyes tight and then opened them quickly, hoping it was all just a dream. But it wasn't.

_Thump. Thump._

She guessed from the rate at his heartbeat that he was still asleep. Hanabi sighed. _Good. If he's unconscious then he won't know any of this. No one will know. _This was just too embarrassing in her eyes.

She started to push herself off of him, bracing her hands on the ground, when he moved. She froze. She didn't even breathe as he turned toward her in his sleep, and pulled her closer. He sighed softly, smiling.

Hanabi sucked in a gasp as she was forced closer to him, their bodies touching. Their faces, to her humiliation, was only inches away. Stilling herself Hanabi didn't make a sound. She felt his breath blow in her face as well as the heat forming on her cheeks. Hanabi silently cursed at herself.

After a minute Hanabi moved again, silently slipped out if his embrace. Tensing every moment anything made a movement, making sure the ninja wouldn't wake up.

_This will NOT happen ever again! Ever!_ Hanabi picked her way, moving away from Sarutobi. She sat heavily only a few feet away again cursing at her own self. She had been cuddling! Cuddling!_ How could I blush! My own body betrayed me! Dammit! And at Sarutobi! Sarutobi! Dammit!_

Burying her head in her hands she silently told herself how stupid she was and the as was the world around her. When she was done with that she finally looked around at her surroundings.

She was surprised to see that she was no longer in the forest next to the river but at a simple clearing. Tuffs of grass was all over the place, taking up most of the landscape except for the few parts that were dead dirt. Hanabi looked to her right: more clearing. She looked to her left: even more clearing. It was the same in front of her. But, to her relief, there seemed to be a group of trees not far off behind her. It didn't seem far, just a mile or less.

Getting up Hanabi dusted off her pants, making sure to get all the dirt off. Pushing all her thoughts of cuddling away she focused on now. She was about to yell at Konohamaru to wake the hell up when she noticed that his eyes were open, and staring at her. Attentively.

"Uh…" She intelligently said. She was taken back by the intent of his gaze. The way his raven black eyes didn't seem to blink, only focused on her. It would make anyone uncomfortable. "Uh, hello…" He continued to stare at her. "Uh… Why are you staring at me like that?"

He shrugged. "Because." He made that simple movement and then ruined his statue stillness. His arm propped his head up, still on the ground.

Hanabi frowned. "'Because' isn't a good enough answer." She set her hands on her hips, staring back at him with as much intent as she could muster, which was a lot. "Hello!" She waved a hand in front of him.

All Konohamaru did was raise an eyebrow, making it almost disappear off his face. "Yes." He said simply.

"Are you gonna give me a good answer?"

"No."

Hanabi was taken back. "What do you mean 'no'?"

"That's exactly what I mean. No." He finally decided he wanted to get up. Standing he dusted his clothes off as well. "I don't feel like answering. Besides, it's just a simple question. It's not like it's life or death." He headed in the direction of the trees behind her, walking past without any other motion. "Lets get going."

Hanabi stood there. Sure, it was a simple question, but Hanabi never let anything go. If she didn't get an answer she pestered until she did. Even if it was one of the most simplest questions. She went for it till the very end. So when someone didn't give her anything good they wouldn't here the last of it. It was her nature. Sarutobi was going to learn, she was sure, one way or another.

Racing after him she made to tackle him, uncaring if he got hurt in the process. She caught him by surprise, knocking him down easily.

"What are you doing!?"

"Tell me why!"

"What!? No!"

"Why!?"

"Because!"

"'Because' isn't a good answer! Now tell me!"

"No! Now get off!"

"No! Not until you tell me!"

"I said get off!"

* * *

Hinata looked up at the sky with worry edged all over her face. Hanabi and Konohamaru still hadn't come back from their 'scouting ahead'. It had been quite some time since they had left and it was getting darker by the minute.

_What could they be doing that's taking so long? _She continued to look, jogging at a steady pace though the trees. _Neji and everyone will be so mad and worried if and when they find out._

They were just two young ninjas in a territory they themselves had deemed okay and safe. _There wouldn't have been an ambush, I would have heard it considering how close I was to them. I mean, I could hear Hanabi's yelling at Konohamaru a little while ago. _With the last thought she couldn't help but let a small smile of amusement escape her. After a second it disappeared and a frown took its place. She stopped where she was to think.

"Where could they be?" She asked quietly, mostly to herself, but part of her was speaking to the sky, hoping it would answer. Sadly, it did not.

Hinata sighed, twiddling her fingers as she thought over the situation. In the end she got up all the defiance she could muster and went on and started looking for them, whether anyone objected or not. _I'll probably be back before anyone notices anyway. They're most likely just goofing around… I hope._

She easily followed their trail of chakra, knowing both Hanabi's and Konohamaru's almost as well as her own. It led through the forest and right to the riverbank that was next to it. She immediately saw that Konohamaru had stayed and Hanabi had continued on downstream, just by the trails. Without even following she could also see that Hanabi had come back, and that Konohamaru's led off somewhere on the other side of the bank.

Hinata pondered over this. She guessed that Hanabi most likely threatened Konohamaru to leave or do anything idiotic and went off on her own. She probably came back to see that he was missing and went off to find him, thus causing her to yell out earlier. _So, _Hinata concluded._ Hanabi is most likely with Konohamaru. If I find one of them I'll most likely find the other._

Hinata gave a small smile. She knew her sister well. Well, well enough to know what she would do in most situations.

Quickly jumping over to the other side of the rive she hurriedly went on. She made her way through, jumping from tree to tree, not a hesitant vibe in her. Finally she found the end; well, the end of their trail. To her surprise it ended at a deep whole.

_Don't tell me Hanabi, please don't tell me, that you of all people fell in a hole._ Hinata jumped down from a branch. She walked over to the hole, bent over it, and peered down into it.

"Hmm…" She narrowed her pale eyes trying to make out anything in the black. "I wonder how deep…"

"Why don't you jump in and find out?" Said a deep and cold blooded voice behind her.

* * *

Naruto sighed. He never got to do anything. And that's what he hated most about not being fully trusted.

There he was laying in a tree, nothing to do but wait till everyone came back. They had left him. Actually, they had split up to save more time and he had already finished all his share. What, knowing a forbidden jutsu didn't mean you couldn't use it.

Naruto sighed, again, this time louder. All he could do was wait and ponder over things he didn't want to think about. So much that he wanted to forget, all the memories that he wanted to erase. But he couldn't.

Then a thought popped into his mind._ I wonder who the chakra was earlier?_

Frankly he wasn't entirely sure himself. It was so long since he'd left that he couldn't really remember. Although it was alien it was somehow familiar to him. In some distant way.

Naruto crossed his arms and groaned in frustration. He hated these kind of things. Really he did.

Just like the other had popped in so did a new thought. _What about my 'father'? Is he really him?_

He had asked this to himself over and over again, but could never think of anything. He wondered if he really was like how he appeared to be or if it was all just a mask. Like his. He shook off the gloomy feeling. No. Both the people and his observations couldn't be wrong. They couldn't. He fully believed that, but there was room for doubt. Yes, doubt. He hated it. For most of his life he never knew the word. Now… He wasn't sure. Like he wasn't sure of anything.

Naruto growled in frustration. _Why did everything have to happen to me? Why?_ Again, he couldn't answer this. He didn't have the answer. He never did.

Looking up the blonde noticed that the sky had now turned a deep shade of purple. He got to his feet._ Screw it. I'll deal with this later. I'm going to investigate and if 'Team 7' doesn't trust me, well to fucking bad for them._

He started running in the direction of where he had felt those chakras earlier, past where he had searched earlier. He ran until he hit a small river, with small bushes consuming the dirt around it. The trees still surrounded him, but they didn't obscure his vision. About a mile away he could see a clearing, the end of that clearing wasn't in his line of sight though. He was nearing where the event had taken place; and finding nothing suspicious in the area whatsoever.

He jumped from branch to branch, doing a flip or two once in a while. He went on like this for a while when he heard a strange sound. It was a mix between a shrill screech and a rough roar. Looking up he only had time to put his hands in front of him to shield his face before he was slammed into by a gigantic creature in mid leap.

Instantly he knew it was a summon. There were no regular animals like that in the wild; well, not if you count all the nine tailed demons. Just from looking at it he saw that it was as big as a house, only with more teeth and claws. It resembled a dog, but was several features that was more like a cat, such as a long tail and slits for eyes. Although it was mostly covered in fur there were parts that had feathers and scales, which looked really abnormal. The freakiest thing was that it had two heads; one a regular dog shaped, and the other was more of a hybrid between lizard and a cat. It wasn't pretty.

It was mutated. Anyone could see that. And there was only one person who mutated creatures in Naruto's time. Ah yes, Oorochimaru.

_Please don't tell me he's here. Please, please, please don't tell me._

As he fell, he groaned at the thought. Then he landed.

It wasn't actually a landing; if you call plummeting into the solid ground, creating a rather large and deep whole.

Naruto coughed up blood. The mutated beast went straight to tearing him apart, limb from limb. Each head took it's turn in ripping him apart, slowly and painfully.

Naruto winced at the clones memory as it disappeared out of existence. All of it transferred into his head for him to remember. _Ouch._

He had switched to a clone before to avoid this, for which he was grateful he did. Now he was hiding up in a tree above, right above the monster, shaded by the masses of leaves and branches.

Naruto saw that the monster was snarling because of the disappearance of it's prey, and was now looking frantically around for it.

_Must be pretty dumb to not know about clones. Really._ Naruto thought, watching it sniff around. _Damn Orochimaru, you know how to mutate but can't increase any brain cells. How sad._

He would've tried to see if he could kill it when he was bored, but now he didn't bother. He was interested in who's chakras were from before. So he jumped off in the same direction as before when a voice called out.

"**Narrrrruuuutoooo."**

Naruto whipped around and was dumbfounded to see the beast looking straight at him from the ground. Both heads were focused on him, black and beady eyes looked at him hungrily. He took a step back. The beast raised it's mouths and screeched.

"**NARRRRRUUUUTOOOO!"**

He couldn't help it, he snapped back, his temper flashing. Oddly enough he wasn't very afraid, years with the Kyuubi did that to you. Did the thing want everyone to hear what he was saying. "Dear Kami! What do you want! Don't freaking yell for everyone in this time to hear!"

The beast cocked one of it's heads-the dog like one-seemingly pondering over what he said. The other reptile-cat mix was the one who spoke next. **"Surrrrennnnderrrr!"**

Naruto replied instantly, out of habit. "No." Never had he surrendered, even as a kid. Not then, not now. He might be unsure of things now but one thing never would change, he'd never back down.

"**Surrrrennderrr orrr dieeeeee!"** Although it extended most words so it was hard to understand it make that statement crystal clear. The dog was snarling and the lizard-cat hissing.

"Like I said. No." His face hardened. "I don't surrender. Never have, never will." He shook his head like a child would when offered a vegetable.

"**Weeeee kiiilllll aaaaalllll! Kiiillllll evveerrrrryyyonnnneee!"** The beast confirmed this by making snarling and hissing notions, whipping it's heads side to side looking like it was killing something. Then it looked to the direction of the village, for off in the trees, out of view.

Naruto paled. Thinking he remembered what Kyuubi had said when they discussed their dilemma. They had talked for some time on this. Kyuubi had finally mentioned that if they interfered to much in this time period they might change the events in their time. If anyone who wasn't supposed to die died, that would mean that someone, even one of Naruto's friends, could never exist. Anything damage done here would be inflicted greatly in the future. And that was something Naruto wanted to avoid.

The beast saw this. He gave a loud laugh. Both heads gave out a similar spine tingling sound. **"Yooouuuuuuu weeeaaakkkk! Soooooo weeeaaakkkk!"** This seemed to be very amusing to it because it started laughing louder and louder. The forest echoed with the sound. **"Weeeee kiiilllll!"**

Naruto cracked his knuckled against the tree, the bark splitting slightly. "You sure about that?…" He asked, dangerously quiet. He hated when people threatened his friends. It just didn't go well with him.

"**Yessss!"** The beast laughed even louder, if that was even possible. **"Yessss! Masssterrrrrr saaayyyssss sssoooo! Whhhaaaaatttt masssterrrrrr saaayyyssss goooessssss!"**

"Who's 'Master'?" Naruto asked, getting into a better position. He needed a lower branch. And yet, at the same time he was trying to get information out of the dumb beast. "What does 'Master' say?"

The beast shook it's pelt, and bounced over to Naruto's tree, looking up at him with four gleaming eyes. It thought that Naruto was no more of a threat than a butterfly. **"Masssterrrrrr issss aaaa gggennnnniiuuuussss! Nnooooo mmooorrrrree ssseaaaallll!"**

Naruto paused in mid-crouch. His right hand twitched in the direction of his stomach but made no other movements.

"The seal…" It wasn't a question. He frowned, maybe it wasn't Oorochimaru after all. In this time Oorochimaru didn't even know about the Kyuubi, let alone the seal. It had to be someone else. That's when it hit him. Who was so obsessed over the nine demons of power? Who has been chasing and capturing demon holders to get these so called demons? Who has been attacking Naruto all these years? Who had bought him here in the first place? "Akatsuki…"

That's when the thing had its fill of Naruto, raising up one arm covered with slimy looking scales it swatted at the blonde. Naruto jumped instinctively but couldn't escape the blow; it blew him straight into another tree, knocking the breathe right out of his lungs.

_How does no one see this thing or hear all this explosions?! _Quick as a fox, Naruto launched himself at another tree a few feet away from him. Just as he predicted the tree exploded not seconds later. Dropping to the ground with equal amount of speed he started running toward the beast. He ran right underneath it; hearing its howls of frustration as it found out what he had done. He jumped onto its leg and pulled out a kunai. Its small perimeter looked like it could do nothing against the creature he was on, but Naruto knew different. He jumped from the creatures leg all the way to its swinging elbow that had been swishing past him for moments. Using the oscillating force he swung himself toward one of the ugly looking heads: The dog-like one. He hauled himself on the very top of its horrendous head, right smack in the middle of its eyes. It was only a matter of seconds before both heads knew where so he made use of his time on this advantage point. He twirled the kunai in his hands and aimed it for the monster's right eyes. Just as he was about to slam it down the unsightly brute jerked his head to the left. _Did he notice me yet? _Unfortunately, the lurch made Naruto's carefully designed throw flawed. Instead what was aimed for the eye, was pushed into the best's skin. Hitting sensitive membranes, were no scaled protected it, a foot away from the eye. The head roared its pain and surprise, almost shaking Naruto. The second head craned its neck back and brought his great big eye inches next to Naruto, showing the anger. _Yep, it noticed._

"Uh-Oh" He looked at the kunai sticking out of the skin and as quick as possible pulled it out. "I'll just take this and go."

That wasn't the case apparently. The beast shook its whole body and Naruto didn't even try to hang on. As he fell, he held out a sure hand and caught hold of a tree branch sticking out. He flipped himself gracefully right side up, kunai in hand. Without even looking to see if the monster was following he set out in the opposite direction of the village. Sure enough the thing followed, blinded by rage.

"Where the hell is that so called Lord of Chaos!"

* * *

Said Lord of Chaos was scampering through the forest, with the taste of victory still in his mouth. He had caught the boy, much to his delight, and had punished him severely. Meaning he had brought the boy back to his orphanage and the old lady that ran the place had scolded him dearly for running off. The Kyuubi hadn't gone in the building but had jumped onto a tree branch to the window ledge to look. Because of his super hearing he could hear every word clear as day.

After the lady, also known as "Ms. Bitch" by him, had scolded the boy she had asked where he had run off to.

"I was with Kyuubi. He and I were playin' Tag." He said happily. There was no one else in the room except them, the children being excused for dinner. The boy had stayed back to answer her questions. "Then he caught me and told me to come back or else. He said that he'd come one night and kill me if I didn't. But I knew he was kiddin'!"

The Kyuubi slightly growled at that but never less chuckled at Ms. Bitch's expression. _**Hehe… Nice going kid.**_

"Tyon, don't play around. There are no kids around here called Kyuubi." Ms. Bitch said, like she knew all. The Kyuubi highly doubted she did. He knew all. He knew she didn't know bull.

Tyon laughed. "Oh! He's not a human! He's a demon lord, Lord of Chaos to be exact! He's the nine tailed fox, the almighty Kyuubi no Kitsune! Killer of Villages! More powerful of all the bijuu combined!" Tyon raised his hands above his head to emphasize his point. The repeated all the Kyuubi had said. The fox in general was surprised.

_**Hmmm… Bright kid. Brighter than I ever thought.**_

Tyon continued on, ignoring Ms. Bitch's surprised expression. "He said he was sealed into the Hokage's son by the Hokage himself! Can you believe it! What a meanie! How could you do that to someone-!"

Mr. Bitch cut him off abruptly, raising a hand. "I don't want to hear more of this nonsense! Now go and wash up for dinner! And no more of this or else you go to bed without dessert!"

Tyon looked mortified. "But I'm tellin' the truth! Honest! They're here! They went back in time and-"

"Tyon! No more of this! Now go wash up!" Ms. Bitch pointed her finger to the door, a stern look on her face.

The kid looked put down. Sadly and slowly he made his way to the door. Before he left he opened his mouth to say something, probably about the Kyuubi, but Ms. Bitch wouldn't allow it.

"Tyon! Go!" He went.

Ms. Bitch sighed, looking a little pale. She put her head in between her hands, sitting down on a old and creaky chair. Although she made it look like she didn't believe the kid, she did seem to know about the Kyuubi no Kitsune. And she was afraid shitless of him to boot! She looked familiar to the Kyuubi. A little to familiar.

_**I wonder…**_ Then he got it!_** It's that bitch who kicked the kid out of this place because she though he was really me, not himself. Hmm… I wonder how I knew that… Oh fuck it. Still…What a bitch. She deserves to be fucked with.**_

So Kyuubi thought he'd get a kick out of her. Slowly he released his chakra, making it leak out like a gently stream. His tails were also released, one by one. Soon he had all nine tails swinging lazily around him. He decided he would grow in size to, just for the hell of it. He shook off the kit's jutsu's disguising his appearance, making his marking all reappear.

The Kyuubi jumped off the sill and onto the thick branch of the trees that he used to get up here. Still growing he settled himself, unsheathing his claws. He stopped his growth till he was as big as a alpha wolf, maybe even bigger, one of his favorite sizes. The branch held his weight, to his surprise. He positioned so that his hind legs were firmly on the branch and one front leg had a tight hold on the bark.

Checking himself over once he released as much chakra that he could without making near ninja pee from fright. Lifting one clawed paw he reached out and lightly scratched at the window.

Ms. Bitch heard it. Lifting up her face she looked around. Kyuubi scratched again. This made her look over at the window. She jumped when she saw him. Squinting she focused on him. Then she just stared, and stared, and stared. And stared.

She screamed, loud and shrill. It pierced the air, like a knife to paper. It rose louder and louder till it was almost deafening to Kyuubi's oversensitive ears.

The Kyuubi had to chuckle though. He had to admit, he loved her reaction. He hadn't gotten one like it in a while. To mess around with her even more he gave her a big and malicious grin. The only one an evil demon fox could give. One that showed all his sharp white teeth. He knew that his eyes were reflecting off light, which was tinted slightly with red. His tails whipped around, like they wanted to slash at something and kill it in the process.

It was to much. Ms. Bitch fell out her chair with a loud _thud_, still screaming_. _Her eyes were only on the Kyuubi, who was right outside her window, and not at the children who came rushing in from the noise. Boys and Girls looked around to find out what was wrong with their care taker, but found nothing. They didn't even notice that Ms. Bitch was only looking through the window, they were pretty dull kids in the Kyuubi's eyes.

The last child to pile into the room was the boy they called Tyon. Instead of looking around like the others he hooked his gaze instantly to the window. However, he didn't scream in fright with the demon's new improve appearance, but a smile of wonder took over his features. He waved frantically at the fox.

_**This guy isn't so bad. **_He snorted to himself. _**Might as well end this sucker. **_He bent his front paw low and lowered his head in a deep bow. He crackled madly as he looked back at Ms. Bitch and deepened his silent snarl, showing every single one of his teeth. It was a threat and he knew she knew. After all was done he jumped off the branch hiding his tails and chakra once again, heading for the forest on the south side of town; he kept his size.

_**Damn… I love messing with people. It's so easy. But now it's time for work. Gah… I hate work… Well, unless it involves decapitating someone or something. **_He smiled murderously at the thought. _**Yeah, that would be fun.**_

He started sprinted after a while and once he got near the great wall of the city he easily jumped over it. He looked behind, still running, to see if anyone had seen him. The answer: No.

The demon let his senses overwhelm him. Ears trembling with every sound that reached him, nose fidgeted as smells came to him, eyes switching this way and that as he observed every rock and tree. His mouth opening slightly as he tasted the air and its scents along with his nose; the slim, red tongue lolling out of his mouth as he panted. Every muscle working as he lopped in the forest, the heart in his strong chest beating with power that emanated from his entire being. He could sense every living thing and he could sense the two figures that had escaped the Kit earlier. Turning his body somewhat to the left he steered himself in the direction of them.

As he got nearer two voices came to his twitching ears.

"So you won't tell me why?" A feminine voice came, soft but with attitude.

"It's not that important really." A deeper power of speech came, definitely male.

"Well, I like to know as much as I can." The female explained.

"I can see that." A low sigh. "Fine. The reason why I-" He stopped; both in speech and movements.

"What?" The female voice asked impatiently. She halted too. The demon fox could feel the wind around him as she waved a hand in front of his face.

Now the Kyuubi could see them. Two teens; fifteen, maybe sixteen. The irked girl had long brown hair with one long strand permanently in her face, she unconsciously blew it out of her face; it returned to its original place in seconds. Below thin eyebrows were pale, lavender eyes that seemed endless. She wore casual ninja attire, as did her companion. Both wore the Leaf Village's symbol on their katana he noted with interest. The boy she was talking to had dark brown hair, almost black. He face was set in a cautious look which held dark, calculating eyes. Stands of his dark hair seemed edged their way in his eyesight, but that didn't seem to bother him. His trade mark was what caught the Kyuubi's attention, a dark blue scarf was wrapped around his neck with the remaining cloth tailing behind him. It seemed oddly familiar.

"There's something here." He said lacking in any emotion. The girl froze as she dropped her hand, it inching toward the pouch at her waist which probably held kunai and other weapons.

"I see…" Both teens looked ready to fight and defend themselves and the Kyuubi made himself known. He walked calmly out of the bushes and sat on his haunches right smack in front of him. They looked at him for a second before relaxing slightly, to his amusement. "It's a fox."

"Foxes are generally found in forests." The male brought his hands up in a showing motion. "And we are in a forest."

"That's a big fox." The girl answered not even paying attention to the boy. She kept her eyes on the Kyuubi; she knew something was up.

"What could a fox do that we couldn't handle?" The boy didn't seem all to bothered by his presence. The demon would have to change that. He smiled wickedly at the girl and launched himself and the boy at her side. Before the girl could even open her mouth to say anything he had tackled the boy to the ground with him settling on his chest. The body underneath him made an "Oof" sound as they landed.

"**I could do so much that you couldn't handle. You don't even know that half of it." **Out of the corner of his eye he could see the girl's mouth open with surprise at the 'talking fox'. But the boy beneath him didn't even seem all that surprised. The fox pressed his clawed paw harder on his chest to get a reaction out of him. He didn't. **"So, junior MeatBag are you afraid?"**

"Umm…" He pretended to think for a second. "Not really."

At this the demon couldn't help but laugh. Laughing loudly. **"You've got spunk just like him. It must have rubbed off when you hung out with him. I remember when you and the Kit stole that Old Hag's sake. Funny as hell." **He made to get off the boy. He turned his head toward the girl. **"Yo, bitch. You might want to change your appearance before you set foot into the village over there."**

"Why?" The boy had asked while the girl fumed at the insult. He had picked himself off the ground and had put an arm around her waist to restrain her.

"**You haven't seen anyone have you?"**

"No… Why?" The girl had answered cautiously, still glaring daggers.

"**Well, your not in your old fucking Konoha anymore. This isn't your present time."**

"Present time?"

"**Dear Kami! Do I have to spell it out for you?! Your in the past!" **He paused and cocked his head to the side, ears turning this way and that. Out in the distance they all could hear a unearthly roar and explosion. He sighed. **"Also, your old friend is in need of your help. Because, sure in hell I'm not helping him. I've already gotten him out enough shity situations."**

He walked off without another word, off towards the direction of the noise. After a while he looked behind at them to see that they hadn't followed. He sighed. Were they that stupid that they can't do anything? **"You guys comin'? C'mon, don't just stand there like retards. There's a fight going on!"**

The teenaged boy seemed suspicious and the girl had shed her angry countenance for a curious one. The pale eyed female looked at him with the same curious expression and the demon wasn't sure what she found as she stared unflinching and unblinking at him; maybe dangerous instincts, deaths of thousands, or the love of killing. Whatever she saw she seemed to agree with at some point. Maybe she saw that he knew about the blonde idiot host of his, either way the fox knew that she was trusting enough to follow him to help the Kit.

_**Smart girl. Stupid boy though, just like the Kit.**_

She made a step forward to follow, but the boy's arm was still wrapped protectively around her waist and tightened to stop her from continuing. She looked at him a half curious, half irked frown on her face.

"Konohamaru…Let go, we have to help. He said that someone we knew was in trouble." Her voice was soft in tone but it traveled all the way to the Kyuubi's ears. "But I'm pretty sure we could trust him; even though he looks like trouble. What's with you anyway?"

"Sorry if I don't immediately trust an evil looking, talking fox." The boy named Konohamaru flicked his eyes toward her for an instant and switched them back to the large fox the next.

_**Evil… Oh he's so flattering.**_

"You were all calm and smartass about five seconds ago! What if it's really someone we know!" She edged forward again, still being pulled back by the hand. "Is this another one of your damn mood swings or something?"

_**He was so being a smartass.**_

Konohamaru said nothing, finally after what seemed like hours to the Kyuubi he started toward him. His arm still enclosing the girl's middle, dragging her with him. The girl looked annoyed, though she did have a color of pink encasing her cheeks, but didn't object at the contact. The Kyuubi snickered inside walking again.

Konohamaru looked tensed but the girl who he found out was Hanabi was quite relaxed. Seeming content with the company and the reason for her going with the fox. She didn't trust him, that much the fox knew, but she was comfortable enough to try and start a conversation with him.

"So… Who is this person we are going to help? How do you know we know them? How did you meet him?"

The Kyuubi chuckled. She was just like a small fox pup, always trying to get answers and get their nose into were they shouldn't. Nosey is what they called it.

"**Well… I met him a long time ago. I've known him since the say he was born in fact. I know you know him because I've seen you interact with each other."**

"And his name…?"

"**You should know. You were sent looking for him I presume…"**

It was quiet behind him. So quiet that he had to look back to make sure they weren't dead. Konohamaru had stopped dead in his tracks and Hanabi was forced to stop too. His knuckles grew white as he held onto her. What snapped him out was the small gasp of the young female as the hold grew to great. He softened his grasp, but still had that surprised, shocked expression on his face. It was somewhat comical the demon thought.

"His name is…?"

"**Why his name is Naruto Uzumaki."**

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

**M: Dun Dun DUN!**

**N: Nice. Really nice, dude.**

**M: I made my own theme song. I'm gonna be a spy-ninja!**

**N: Do you know any jutsu?**

**M: No bu-**

**N: Do you know how to walk up a tree without using your hands?**

**M: No not rea-**

**N: Do you have a perverted sensei who teaches you kick ass moves?**

**M: I don't want to answer anymore.**

**N: I'll take that as a 'no.' You are NOT a ninja. I'm not sure about the spy part so much.**

**M: Don't make me hit you with this sausage .**

**N: It's half eaten. Why should I be scared?**

**M: You should be scared because I'm not afraid to hit places of vulnerability.**

**N: I will kick you before you have the chance.**

**M: Haha… I'd like to see you try. Sausage is the meat king that the Almighty God gave to me. It powns all other meat. They bow down to it's greatness.**

**N: Weird.**

**M: Again, sausage rules all.**

**N:…**

**M: What?**

**N: Aren't we supposed to talk about out story in author's comment?**

**M: Yes. Why do you ask?**

**N: Then why aren't we doing that?**

**M: … I don't know…**

**N: We wasted so much valuable typing.**

**M: Such a waste…. Goodbye peoples!**

**N: Same here. **


	12. Chapter 12

Hinata groaned as she came to her senses. She felt like she had been out drinking and was past the wasted stage.

_My head hurts._ And indeed it was. Her skull was pounding and pounding, a balloon threatening to break.

She pushed herself up to a sitting position, he hands on a soft but rough ground. Looking she saw that it was a dull colored carpet beneath her.

Hinata was confused. _Where's the grass?_ She asked herself turning her head side to side. _And where's the forest?_

To her surprise she found herself in a quaint office. The Hokage's office to be exact. Although some things were somewhat different the whole place was still the same, like the desk, the shelves, stacks of papers, pictures of late Hokage's, and such.

Hinata frowned. That's odd. Where was the Third's picture. She didn't seem it on the wall, next to the Second's. The deceased man's picture was nowhere to be seen on that specific wall. But she could see a picture of him on the Hokage's desk, it was of a younger looking him and what looked like the genin versions of the legendary Sannins.

She pondered over that and how she had first got here. Since she was doing this she didn't notice the door slowly opening and letting a man inside. Hinata spun around as she heard the door click closed; what she saw astounded her. It was the third Hokage. A younger version of him wearing his Hokage robes and all.

_He's not dead…_ Well, at least he didn't look dead to her. His face had color in it, he walked with pride, and was smiling as she gazed at him. _Definitely not dead._

The smile that was on his face quickly turned into a confused frown as he set his eyes on the woman sitting on the floor of his office in the middle of the day. His brows furrowed as he took in her pale lavender eyes, no pupils showing. The signature trait of the Hyuga line.

Hinata, not know what else to do greeted the man.

"Hello."

"Hello." The man replied with even more confusion. "What are you doing in my office?

To this Hinata looked around once more. "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"Yes, I do not know." The young heiress didn't even notice that she wasn't giving the respectable titles and replies you should give someone in such high class. With all that has happened, she totally forgot.

"You've had to get through pretty tight security to even get up here. This door is the only way to get in, well besides the windows, but those are watched constantly." He motioned with his hand.

Hinata remained silent thinking back before she woke up here. She couldn't remember much except the man. A cloak. That's what she remembered from him. Nothing else. Sighing inwardly she looked up at the Third, who was looking at her expectantly.

"Well, will you tell me how you got in here?" He asked.

"I…" She paused, wondering if she should tell him. He was the Third Hokage. She decided that she could trust him, knowing full well that even now he would know what to do. "I… Was searching for someone that is very important. He left and we, being my friends and I, have been searching for him for a while now. I went on a scout and some of my friends had gone missing. I, of course, went looking for them. There was this man and… Poof, I'm here." She looked down to avoid his gaze, gently tapping her two fingers together.

"Poof?" The Third looked down at her, his brows furrowing further together, face set in a calculating look. "I don't seem to get that part, my dear. Do you think you can explain?"

"Ummm… I don't know how to really explain. I just woke up here. That's all." Hinata made an apologizing gesture. "I'm sorry."

The Third sighed. "It's quite all right. Lets just figure things out, shall we? First I wish to ask you a question."

Hinata looked up at him. He looked calm and not at all suspicious as she thought he would be. "What type of question?"

"Nothing really." He said. "I just would like to know if you are a Hyuga and that's not a jutsu. You must know that your eyes resemble a particular trait that only that can have; that clan is only found in one particular village. The Leaf Village."

"Yes," Hinata said slowly, knowing full well that it would be pointless to reject. He wasn't the kind of Hokage to be gullible. "I'm a Hyuga."

"And who are your parents?"

Hinata looked down at her hands again. A plan ran through her mind. She had one chance to pull it off. She would need to act the part professionally. "I-I didn't know my p-par-rents… T-They d-died b-before I-I was b-born. I-I w-was r-raised e-elsewhere." She stuttered as much as she thought was necessary. She made sure not to meet his eye.

Hinata felt a hand gently grab her under the arm and help her up off the ground. She let her bangs covered her eyes, shielding them from the Third's view. Glancing she saw his solemn expression on her.

"Please don't lie to me. I know the Hyuga's would never abandon one of their own. Even if your parents died, someone of your clan would have taken you in. I've seen it happen. Now, my dear, please tell me the truth." He gave her a stern look.

Hinata was shocked. So shocked that she couldn't find any answers to reply to that.

"My dear, will you please tell me. I might just now where your friends are. I've met some odds ones this time around."

Hinata still wasn't fully over her shock. The Third Hokage was truly fit for the position. He knew everything about every clan in his village. Lying wasn't something that you could get away with around him. He saw through everything.

The Hyuga heiress let her shoulders drop. She didn't like defeat when she tasted it. No one did. She didn't want to tell him, knowing full well that he'd probably think she was bonkers and send her to a comfy cell for rehabilitation.

The Third saw her troubled eyes, seeing them behind her thick bangs, to her surprise. He guessed her thoughts easily. "Don't worry, I won't do anything until I hear your full account. Ninjas won't come flying through the windows. If anything happens, we're alone here." He said it confidently. He was the Hokage after all, he could take care of himself.

Hinata bit her lip. _I shouldn't tell him, but I can't lie to him either. No escape. Although he said we were alone I know that there is always ANBU around._ She didn't know what to do! Ninja's were trained to never reveal information to enemies, but they never talked about keeping it from Hokages!

"I-I can't" She said finally. Before he could speak she cut him off, still forgetting the respect. "I'm s-sorry but I can't. I want to, really, but I can't."

The Third raised a thin gray eyebrow. "You can't or you won't?"

"I-I can't. I don't know how I got here, and probably couldn't explain it if I did know, but even so I can't. It would all be to confusing for you anyway-no offense-plus, you'd probably think I was out of my mind." Hinata could clearly imagine what would happen. ANBU would immediately swarm in, blocking every escape. They would capture her and hold her a cell for the rest of her days. She shivered imagining dying in her past. It wasn't the way she wanted to go.

He looked at her for some time, staring into her pale lavender eyes. "Strangers coming in and out. Pupils are getting better than you. People are keeping secrets left and right. Why is it that no one trusts the Hokage anymore? Hmm… I'm not going to be it for long but it doesn't matter. What is an old man to do?"

She looked at him quizzically. _New Hokage? Who- Oh yes, the Fourth. The savior of the Leaf. _She thought sadly to herself. _It's so sad that he died, but for a heroic purpose. _

The Third must have seen her sudden sadness because he asked, "What is wrong? Must you hide your emotions as well?"

"…" She stared down for quite some time as she debated with her doubts. Finally she came to conclusion; she straightened her shoulders and picked her head up high to meet the man's gaze. He eyed her as he noted to difference in the way she held herself, but this didn't even faze the dark haired woman. "I will tell you. You might want to sit down though, it is quite a story."

He paused for a second then strode over to the chair behind his desk without a moments hesitation. He leaned back and motioned for her to find somewhere comfortable to sit. She did, grabbing a chair from the back of the office. As she settled he leaned back even further and entwined his fingers and dug his chin down into his chest in a thoughtful expression.

"Well… Shall we start at the beginning?"

* * *

Naruto panted heavily as he dodged a giant clawed hand swung his way. He had tried all of the jutsu's he knew, but none of them seemed to work against the horrific beast. This point of exhaustion hadn't ever occurred to him before; he had been pouring the jutsu's non-stop all for nothing.

As he sidestepped a falling tree he barely had time to react as another hand, more fur on in than the other, came rushing at him. He jumped as high as he could trying to leap over the hand itself, but to no avail. The tip of his foot got caught and he went falling toward the ground. Just when he thought he was going to hit the ground a scaly finger was thrown against him, pinning him to a nearby tree. He gasped as the talon cut deep in his skin. It twisted, causing even more unimaginable pain. Although pain was clear in his face, actions, and gasps, he didn't once speak out to yell for help. Pride was a benefit at times, but also a curse at others.

"**Whhhhyyy dooo youu nnnottt ccallll ooouttt ffforrrr yoourrrr friiiennddssss?" **The beast's disgusting breathe came crashing down on him, asking the most stupidest question Naruto had ever heard.

"I'm not calling because I can take you, you ugly brute!" He panted as the talon pressed harder.

"**Youuuu ssshhhaallll diiieeee fffforrrr yooourrrrr iiiddiooottticccc bbeeehhhavioooorr!" **It raised its other three hands/claws up and held them there for a second before bringing them down on the hurt blonde. Naruto didn't even close his eyes as they descended, waiting for the right moment to make his last move. However, just as he was about to make his last and greatest technique something whizzed past his face.

The beast hissed, retreating. It's claws were no longer pressing against Naruto. It backed away swatting at invisible flies. On the bridge of his nose having a slim-but deep-cut that had already started to bleed. Naruto looked around to see who had thrown the sharp object, finding the origin to his right. There sitting on a branch casually was a young man. He was about the age of fifteen, only a couple years younger than himself. One thing caught his eye though, the blue scarf pooled around his neck. Because the teen was tucking in his head, the scarf covering the lower half of his face, it allowed no one to know what he was thinking. He had scratched everywhere, clothes ripped in some places, and there was some blood trickling down his head. This didn't seem to bother him as he looked coolly at Naruto.

"Y-You-?!" Naruto fell to his knees. It couldn't be! It couldn't! It was impossible for him to be here! Naruto's head whirled as he stared at the teen who had been one of the reasons for him to leave. "W-Why are you h-here!?" That was the only question that he could form out of his mouth. He was so dumbfounded that he couldn't find anymore words.

The teen cocked his head. "We're here to help you of course. Is there any other reason?" Without an answer he launched himself at the beast, slashing at it with a few more kunai. The beast, momentarily forgetting Naruto, roared and swung at him. It missed.

Konohamaru again launched himself at the beast full-on only to be yanked back by another unexpected guest. She caught him by the scarf around his neck-choking him slightly and quickly pulled him back away from the beast. Not a second later a claw came swishing through the place he was, not even a little while ago.

Konohamaru made a strangled sound. Pale lavender eyes flashing the girl scolded him.

"DON'T GO CHARGING IN! YOU'LL GET YOURSELF KILLED YOU IDIOT!" Her eyes quickly spied Naruto in her vision and he suck in a surprised breath as he saw the Hyuga blood-limit activated. The Byakugan was impressive no matter how many times he saw it; and he saw it pretty often. She looked at him and frowned, probably seeing for the first time how messed up his chakra was. His chakra and the Kyuubi's being mixed together didn't make it look organized he was sure. She looked like Hinata, except for the hair, which was a darker brown than Neji's. Then before his eyes, her eyes changed again: turning violet, with pupils, nothing like what they were originally. Then he realized that she had put up a cover up so no one would notice the Hyuga bloodline.

She ended her stare at Naruto and glanced back over to holder of the scarf, who was trying to loosen the scarf's hold on his neck, without success he might add. He heard her say to him, "If you get yourself killed I will kill you."

"That makes no sense." He had gasped out with some annoyance. "You didn't have to pull on my scarf… That really hurt and I think you stretched it."

"Cry me a river." She released her hold on him, allowing him to breathe. "Get this in your head. Any type of jutsu won't be able to work on it; it's chakra, if that's what I'm seeing, seems to be seeping out of it and making an invisible shield around it. Hmmm…. I've never seen anything like it. Quite smart actually and impressive." She tapped her finger against her chin as she watched the beast make its way toward them.

"Yeah, we can admire it later Hanabi." He reached over to his right shoulder and released the strap that held his shuiken. It sprang open, the four connected blades gleaming. Once having a hold of the weapon he threw it in up with ease, watching it twirl in the air for a moment, then catching it. "No jutsu, eh? Well then, I'm just going to have to do this the old fashion way."

"Show off." She huffed as he spun the weapon again and threw it at the monster at an odd angle. He threw him at another tree as a fist came pushing toward him. Hanabi didn't even move as it came crashing down. She didn't have to. The clawed hand smashed the place where Konohamaru was standing but had left her half of the tree untouched.

_They're going to get themselves killed! If I couldn't defeat it what chance do they have? _He wanted to yell for them to stop and run when a loud voice rang in his head.

**Leave them. They can handle it. Plus, they aren't trying to defeat it. **Naruto looked above to see the demon fox that had been sealed in him laying on his stomach on a large branch. One of his hind legs was hanging from the height, dangling freely.

_What? Not trying to-_

**No. Not defeating. Do I have to repeat myself again. Damn, you are so fucking stupid. You don't have to kill someone to win a fight. Even I know that and I'm a fucking killing machine. **The Kyuubi actually sounded pretty wise(ish) and Naruto remembered that he was hundreds of years old. **You once knew that, but I guess you forgot it over the years.**

_I didn't-_ Naruto tried to reject but the Kyuubi cut him off with a simple **"Shut up!"** Naruto quieted.

The Kyuubi mentally sighed.** I observed that when you left your precious village you gradually came to forget the reasons why you fought. You became obsessed with the thought of winning against the Akatsuki. You keep telling yourself it's to protect your friends, but really, you were just doing it to protect yourself. You wanted to live-to win, simply said.**

Naruto said nothing, sitting stilled as a statue. The Kyuubi continued on, seemingly getting wiser by the second.** You wonder why you've gotten so weak? I know you've been thinking about it during our training, and so have I. I came to the answer rather quickly. It's because your not putting anything into it, none of your real power, your real motive. You have power, you're just not using any of it. Sure, survival is important, but what I've learned about you is that you need a truly good reason to fight. Not just the thought of yourself killed, but something more. Your resolve is to not protecting your life but those of your friends. Fight for them and then you'll get stronger.**

There was a long moment of silence between them, only broken by the crashes of the fight going on next to them. Naruto looked at his friends fighting. Fighting for _him._ He felt ashamed.

_No wonder. You were right Kyuubi, I have been weak._

The Kyuubi shifted uncomfortably. **Although I'm a little happy that you've finally said the inevitable. I gotta say something else.** He sighed. He saw the two ninjas dodging another claw. It hit a tree nearby, making the trunk explode, sending bark flying everywhere. **Your not weak, Kit, you just need to fight for something other than yourself for a change. Like I said, fight for the safety of your friends. You did pretty well with that when you were smaller. Also, fight for those who need it and deserve it. You fight for the people here because they'll inflict something to the future. Fight for them because you want to, not because you have to and feel it's your duty.**

Naruto still stayed silent, pondering over the Kyuubi's words. He knew he was right, the blonde knew. He had wanted to fight to win, not to protect. But he would change that.

Standing Naruto walked toward the beast, turning back once to look at the fox up in the tree. He gave a small wry smile. "Thanks."

The Kyuubi's ears perked up. Then he lifted his snout up so he could look down on the blonde. **What are you talking about?**

Naruto's smile didn't falter, instead it got a bit bigger. "Nothing."

**Exactly.**

Naruto kept on walking, gathering his chakra together. He wasn't going to let some stupid mongrel hurt his friends. Like hell he was.

"Here, boy." He said at the beast, mockingly. "Wanna play?"

* * *

Obito sped up as the rest of his team raced on. It was Minato-sensei was in lead with Rin right behind and him and Kakashi were in the rear. It was only moments before that they had heard the explosion, followed by a loud roar. As they carried on they heard, all well as felt, more explosions going on.

"How the hell does someone always get into this much trouble! Even I don't!" Obito said annoyingly. Kakashi for the first time nodded in agreement.

"I gotta admit that's true." He said absolutely no emotion showing. Typical Kakashi.

Obito flipped, skipping one branch, trying to advance ahead of the silver haired kid next to him. With no avail. Kakashi just made his leaps larger, keeping pace with him easily. _Damn._

Sighing, Obito just kept to staying in sequence with his team. He called up to the front. "Sensei, what do you think he did?"

He saw his sensei's shoulders lift up and down in a shrug. "I don't really know. Anything can happen around him. He's just like Kushina."

"It's like she never left." Obito muttered softly so no one could hear. Kakashi apparently heard and chuckled quietly beneath his mask, to Obito's surprise. Kakashi was a real weirdo.

Rin perked up in front. "Why did we leave him alone, again?"

This time it was Kakashi's turn to shrug. "Actually we decided that he would stay with Obito and me."

"Then how-?"

"He was very persuasive." Obito said quickly, not wanting to go any father. "Plus, his 'pet' wouldn't go anywhere with us."

Rin's lips were set in a small 'o' as she processed it.

Before they could continue on they felt the presence of two different chakra signatures, as well as a spike of a familiar one. It was only for a moment then it quickly receded. Another explosion and the sound of trees falling followed after

"Well, we know he's still alive, that's good." Kakashi said humorlessly. Obito rolled his eyes. Without even seeing his face Obito knew that sensei was resisting to roll his as well.

"Yeah, that's real good."

Rin turned back to them. "Shush, we're here!" Both Obito and Kakashi quieted. "Keep all your senses alert!"

Immediately Obito could tell Naruto was here. There were trees on the ground, some still intact and other not. Slashes were on the one's still standing, ranging from shallow to deep wounds in the bark. Grass was torn out of it's root, laying on the ground in big clumps. Fresh and new soil was sprayed out all over the terrain. Sand was still floating down, making the air thick.

Obito gave a small cough. He waved at the air around him trying to rid as much as he could. He did it hopelessly.

Another explosion sounded, this time way closer. And it continued to get louder, until it all came crashing down. Literally.

Sprinting through the trees came a pair of teens. A boy and a girl. They looked like they were running for a while to Obito. A tree came crashing down in their path. Without looking back they both jumped out of the way, sliding to opposite sides. The girl pulled out three kunai, each one producing from between her clenched fingers, ready for attack. The boy on the other hand yanked a shuiken almost out of thin air, one hand still on the ground while he was sliding to balance himself.

_Have to admit it, that was cool._ Obito thought reluctantly.

They looked like ordinary ninjas except for a few minor details. The boy had a long scarf trailing behind him and a stare that could make anyone uncomfortable; black, cold eyes. The girl had flashing violet eyes that took a quick glance at them before she turned them back to her actions.

The pair kept running, dodging flying and falling objects. They ran past the three genin and the future Hokage without a glance. It wasn't until they were a few feet away that they saw what they were running from. Trailing behind them, sprinting faster than a thing that big should, was a giant beast with two heads. Each snarling with anger as it ran, its whole body was covered with tufts of fur, scales, and feathers; making it look incredibly ugly. Each time its feet came to touch the ground more of the forest came crashing down with it. It tore through the path before it, not even acknowledging the new arrivals. It's only focus was the two running away from it.

"What…" Rin couldn't even bring herself to finish his sentence.

"…Is that?" Kakashi produced the remaining half of the girl's sentence. Both looked equally dumbfounded and disgusted. Obito knew for sure that his face was an mirror image of their's: twisted in horror and surprise. Not a pretty expression to make. The Uchiha boy looked up at his sensei noticing with some respect that his face showed nothing.

"Sensei…?" He whispered. He doubted anyone could hear him over the destruction happening. The monster had went back to pummeling the trees and ground where the pair was. His sensei opened his mouth for a second then closed it with a snap. His bright blue eyes turned to look at the entire area around them; at his left they stopped. Obito and his teammates looked as well and froze in surprise and wonder at what they saw.

There on the highest tree in the area, or what looked like it, was Naruto. His red-blonde hair blowing and his face set in a cold, determined expression. He was crouched low as if he was going to launch himself at something. He saw the two ninjas from earlier on with the colossus monster still behind them in. The pair stopped every few seconds as if they were…teasing it? Just as the monster would reach them they would start running again. They weren't running away from it. They were leading it! That's when the boy finally knew why Naruto was crouched the way he was. He was going to tackle the beast.

_That's crazy. He'll get himself and everyone else killed. _He was going to yell at his team to go and help them, but stopped suddenly. They wouldn't have gotten there in time, even with Minato-sensei's speed. The expression on Naruto's face told him that he was indomitable, this was about pride and his ideals. This is why when he saw Rin and Kakashi take a step forward on either side of him he stretched out his hands to block their path. Kakashi made a move to knock his hand away but he twisted his hand around and grabbed hold of his hand without even sparing it a glance. The masked ninja seemed surprised by the move, as did Rin as he repeated the process to her.

"Don't." He didn't even recognize his own voice. "Don't interfere. This isn't your fight. It's theirs."

Minato-sensei looked behind him and his bright blue eyes flashed as he held Obito in his sight. The Uchiha knew he couldn't hold the upcoming Hokage back, it just couldn't be done by him. Obito saw it in his and their eyes, that they wanted to go help in any possible way. They hadn't realized what this meant to the others. Even now the two teens goaded the two-headed thing further down, closer to Naruto.

"They've got this under control." Rin looked at him like he was crazy and Kakashi was as unemotional as ever. Sensei looked at him for a moment before taking a step forward. "They don't need our help. Just watch."

Before the rest of his team could say or do anything else they heard a loud yell. They all turned back to the action to see that the hybrid beast was right underneath Naruto. The red head's eyes flashed dangerously and a killer intent was rubbing off him. He had made the yell, more like a really loud snarl actually. He had pounced onto the thing with all his might and brought his foot down on one of the heads. The impact was so hard that the thing didn't fall backwards or forwards or side to side, but retreated into the earth. The ground surrounding the large beast crumbling into dirt, which caused more dirt to drift into the air.

When the dirty fog had cleared they saw three figures standing there alone. No monster in sight. Obito couldn't stop his sensei as he rushed forward with his lightning speed. Neither could he stop the rest of his teammates as they sped after him. He himself walked toward the group at a slower pace. Reaching the cluster of people he could see the huge hole that the thing had been dug into. You could still see the ugly brute too. The one head that was still visible in the rummage stirred and as it stirred so did the entire hole. After a few more seconds they could hear thunderous rumbling as rocks fell. It had no time to scream or screech or whatever sound it made as it looked up at them through the falling rocks and dirt. The beast's own movements had caused a cave in on itself.

After a few moments of silence the slender girl that had been running slumped to the floor, with the boy following close behind. They looked like they've had a rough day. Rin instantly scurried toward them, her hands glowing with green light. Didn't matter who you were to her, if you had a wound or needed help she was there.

Naruto stood there for a moment before walking toward the tree he had been perched on moments ago and leans against the trunk, sliding down to the ground soon after. The tree's leaves had been falling out but still provided much shade. He banged his head back against the bark as a red flash streamed across the boy's vision. Not even a second later the red fox was at the young man's side, it sniffed him once then as if content at what he sniffed he settled down at his side, balancing it's weight on it's haunches.

The fox barked. Naruto replied in a soft voice, so soft that Obito couldn't hear what he said. After more barking the blonde made a harsh retort. The fox burst out in some kind of yipping, which Obito realized was laughter.

_Weird._

He looked at Rin healing the two ninja. She had barely started when the boy stood up, slapping her hand away. He didn't sway or anything, just standing there with seemingly restored strength. After him the girl as well stood up, also slapping away Rin's helping hand.

Rin herself huffed up looking like she'd been hit in the face. Her cheeks were flaming red, and her eyes looked angry. No one ever resisted her healing. No one. She hated when people wouldn't except healing when they needed it most. First Naruto, now these two. This wasn't her day either.

_Even weirder._

Completely ignoring Rin the boy walked to Naruto. The girl, although, apologized to Rin for his behavior. From what Obito heard she said that he was a stubborn, knuckle-headed, idiotic, dumbass ninja, and that she shouldn't blame herself that she couldn't heal him. That it was going to be all his fault when he fainted right in front of everyone. She also said that hi s chakra replenished more easily than others.

Obito was curious for that bit of information. _Faster replenishing chakra, huh? That's got to come in handy._ He wanted to learn more but the girl said nothing, nothing that Obito could hear anyway.

The boy walked straight up to Naruto and stood there. He motioned at the fox to move. It shook it's head. Casually the boy brought his foot right up to the fox's chest and gave it a 'light' push. The fox tumbled back. Before it could regain it's composure the boy took it's spot and crouched down next to the blonde.

He whispered something that Obito couldn't make out. And again Naruto replied back to quietly for Obito to hear. The Uchiha silently cursed them for speaking to softly. He wanted to hear what they were saying. While Obito was scheming of a plan that would casually put him next to the two he was interrupted by something out of the ordinary.

Naruto was laughing. Not one of his small chuckles, but a full out guffaw. It was loud and it echoed through the now quiet forest. Naruto quickly covered his mouth to try and keep it in, failing miserably. He continued on giggling. The boy just grinned mischievously.

Obito and his whole team, including Minato, looked at them both in surprise. None of them had ever heard him laugh like that. Or in that matter had ever really seen him show any of his true emotions. Maybe a sneak or two when his guard fell for a second, until he regained his composure. And this boy had opened him up in a matter of seconds, accomplishing what they had been trying to achieve easily.

The boy muttered something else making Naruto stifled another laugh. He took a glance at his girl companion, as did Naruto, both grinning like fools. The girl frowned, crossing her arms.

Snickering the boy went on talking to Naruto in soft tones, completely aware of the girl's death stare focused on him. Naruto laughed even more, almost gasping for breath when he saw it.

Having enough the girl stomped toward them and before anyone could stop her she smacked the boy on the head, making him go tumbling like the fox.

"TELL ME WHAT YOU TOLD HIM!" She bellowed at him, earning sweat drops from around them.

"I don't know what you're talking about." The boy said defiantly. He was sprawled on the ground, his stomach to the air. He looked helpless to the girl above him.

The girl fumed. "YOU TOLD HIM WHAT YOU WOULDN'T TELL ME EARLIER!"

Naruto looked like he would burst from laughing. His face was red and there were small tears in his eyes. "How does she know?…" He asked, earning a desperate glance from the boy.

"Hey, don't tell her! She'll have a reason to kill me! Which si-"

The girl grabbed the front of his shirt, cutting him off, pulling him close to her. Their faces were inches away, hers angry and his scared. "YOU'D BETTER TELL ME OR ELSE," She said dangerously. "I'LL CAUSE YOU SO MUCH PAIN AND SUFFERING. BESIDES, WHY'D YOU TELL HIM AND NOT ME." The boy paled and gulped. But still he wouldn't give. Instead he found a loop hole.

"He's by bro, I gotta tell him… I'll tell you later. Promise. Oh…Can you let me down?" She still looked angry, although all her recent anger already had decreased with time. "Please?" He asked for safe measure. That did the trick.

The girl released her hold, making him fall to the ground. She crossed her arms and looked down at him expectantly. "Fine. You'd better tell me though. Or else." She raised a threatening fist at him.

Obito was watching mouth gaping open. As the whole thing progressed through he came to one conclusion: Women were scary. He shivered at the thought of being at the end of Rin's wrath. _I've never seen her really angry. Glad I haven't gone that far yet. Oh hell, I'm so glad. _He looked toward to the medic who was also watching the trio by the tree, but with a slight smile on her face.

The Uchiha looked at Kakashi, still looking emotionless. Because his mask covered his mouth Obito couldn't see if it was open like his. But to Obito's satisfaction the silver haired genin's eyes were wide and shocked. He saw him glance at Rin probably thinking the same thing that Obito had been a few seconds ago.

Naruto's fox took this moment to enter the situation again. With a jolt Obito realized that it looked bigger than it had this morning. Much bigger. No longer was it the size of an average house cat but near around a alpha wolf. A big alpha male wolf.

_Why didn't I notice this?_ It came to him easily. It was because he was to focused on the huge mutated beast destroying everything. That would explain a lot.

The fox, with dignity, walked over to Naruto, taking a moment to snicker at the boy on the ground. It sat right next to his master and started licking it's chest, acting as if nothing happened. Like there was never a mutated beast. Like no on pushed him only moments ago. Obito made a small snort.

_Weirdass fox._

Minato cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "Naruto, who are they?"

"Oh, they friends of mine. This is Konohamaru, my 'brother', and Hanabi, his 'friend' who just happens to be a girl." The girl-Hanabi- openly rejected, opening her mouth to protest, but Naruto continued on before she could say anything. "They were passing by and they saw that I needed help. So they came over and lead the-whatever it was-and helped me defeat it." As if to emphasize his point the boy-Konohamaru-nodded.

Minato raised an eyebrow as if saying 'Really?'

Naruto raised his in return, just like their first encounter, his saying 'Yes, you got a problem?'

They stared at each other for a while. In the end Minato sighed, admitting defeat. Naruto grinned, happy that he had gotten the better of the future Hokage. It didn't look like it was going well with the leading thing. "Lets just go and see what Old Man Hokage has to say. This'll bug him for sure. I don't know what I'll do when I'm in his shoes soon enough…"

Naruto's grinned just widened. "Don't worry he'll be okay! Besides he can't say no to me! Or for that matter him! He's to cute!" He pointed down at Konohamaru, who just stared back a them with cold eyes.

Obito rubbed the back of his head, unsure. "Hehe… Okay, then." Kakashi rubbed his temples with his fingers, massaging them.

"My Kami…" The masked genin said tiredly. "Naruto, sometimes I wanna hurt you."

At that Hanabi spoke up, looking at Naruto, her words aimed directly at Kakashi. "Don't worry, everyone he knows wants to do that at least one time in their life."

The fox laughed. Actually it was more like a snarl. For some reason Obito felt the need to hide. A shiver traveled down his spine.

_It's always to weird around him._

It had gotten so strange when he came. Now things were outright weird. Strangers coming unrepentantly to the village, dangerous ninja roaming around, and giant mutated beast coming out of nowhere. Obito didn't know what was really going on but he did know one thing, and he knew the rest of his team thought the same.

It was all happening because of this unusual red head and his unusual companion.

* * *

Hinata gulped as she wait for the Hokage to come back to the room. He had said that he needed to find out some information. He also said that he'd be back in ten minutes. It had been ten minutes and thirty seconds. She had counted. Now she was getting more and more nervous as the seconds passed by.

_W__hat if he didn't believe me and is getting the ANBU to arrest me?!_ She knew she should leave but she just couldn't. One thing was that she couldn't just leave the Third Hokage. He was the Third Hokage! Another thing was that she didn't fully know where she was. She knew she was in Konoha, just not which Konoha. The Hyuga wasn't sure how long she could last out there without someone figuring out she was different.

In the end she focused all her attention on pacing back and forth across the office. Hinata knew if wouldn't do anything, it just took her mind off everything.

She started when the door opened, only to relax as the Third came in. Alone.

He saw her worried and tense expression. "My dear, don't worry nothing will happen. I was just figuring out something that might help you and your troubles. I do believe that I've done you a great deal by telling you this." He smiled, slightly relieving some of her anxiety.

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked, confused.

"I mean to tell you that I believe everything you've said to me. The reason is because that a few strange things have happened here for the past few months that your story explained."

Still Hinata looked confused. She honestly had no idea where the Third was going.

"I'll now tell you a few things. Strange things have been happening in Konoha. It all started when he had heard about strange ninjas that were-and still are-roaming around the village. I sent out a team to see what it was all about and they come back with nothing. Although they did have a strange situation with an… unusual person." He left a small pause and looked at her intently. "Afterwards that's when the unique events started occurring."

"Unique events?" The pale eyed woman asked, turning her head to the side.

The Third had to stifle a chuckle. "Usually when this man's around strange things occur, either for the better or worse. None can tell which turn it will take."

Hinata could only think of one person that was like that. Whenever he was around things always seemed to happen. There was never a boring day with him… Hinata blushed uncontrollably. She looked down to try and hide her face from the old man. He saw it.

The Third raised his eyebrows. He continued on not making a comment. "We accepted him into the village, seeing how he could get in and out easily without our knowing. He immediately became part of the family, though there are some strange and uncomfortable moments. One moment, please." He looked down at the papers before him. Picking up a pen he made a quick scribble before setting it aside. "So sorry, these papers are sometimes overwhelming if you don't work on them overtime. Anyway, back to your matter…"

"You accepted the man as a Leaf nin…" Hinata offered gently.

The Third smiled. "Thank you. My mind sometimes goes off on it's own, old age you know. Thank goodness I'll be replaced by someone who isn't as wrinkly as I am." He clasped his hand together once more. "Anyway, as he got accepted these strange events started occurring more and more, getting more and more recent. So I came to believe that he was connected to them in some way or another-"

"I'm very sorry to interrupt sir, but I would like to ask: Why this is important? Also, why are you telling me this?" Now Hinata knew nothing of what he was talking about. This was all strange to her. A man? Dangerous ninja roaming around? Strange events? She hadn't the slightest clue.

The old man sighed softly. "I'm telling you this because you need to know." Suddenly he stopped as if an idea came into mind. "My dear, I need to ask you one question. If you answer this than the rest will be clear as day to the both of us."

Hinata nodded. "What would you like to ask?"

"What is the name of the man that you are looking for?"

Hinata was caught by surprise. She didn't that it was that important. Not only that but no one had spoken him name to her for quite a while, nor has she spoken it herself. She forced herself not to stutter. "Naruto… Uzumaki."

The Third looked momentarily taken back, but then it was replaced by a small smile. He looked to Hinata like he had finally solved a small but great puzzle. "My dear, you have done me a great favor. There are many other questions to be answered, but you have answered one of the most important."

"H-How…?"

"I will tell you this. I know where the man you speak of is."

"Really? You do?!" Hinata tried, and failed, to keep the excitement from her voice. But it was instantly replaced by confusion.

_How can the Third know? He's in the past when-_

"Please let me explain." The Third interrupted her thoughts. "You said to me that your missing friend left?"

"Yes…?"

"Well, the young man that came here said that he left his friends to protect them. You said that right after he left there was an attack on your village, but no one was killed, am I right?"

"Yes…" Hinata was gradually getting to what the Hokage was saying.

"The young man here said that he was the danger to his friends. That the only reason they were in danger was because he was with them…" The Third led on for the Hyuga to figure it out.

Hinata risked a question. "Does your 'unusual person' happen to have blonde hair by any chance?"

The Third nodded. "Technically yes, but there are some streaks of red."

Hinata nodded, some of her hope fading. "Is his eyes bright blue?"

"Red, I believe."

Hinata's shoulders slumped. It couldn't be him. Konoha's Knuckle-headed ninja had he clearest of ocean blue eyes that could brighten up anyone's day. They were not red, the color of blood and pain. "It's not him." She said sadly.

She couldn't believe that she'd gotten her hopes up only to have them come crashing down. The blonde that inspired her over the years was still missing and the trail was cold.

"Not him… I doubt it." The Third scoffed, Hinata saw that he really believed that he knew where Naruto was. "It is quite easy to change one's appearance, but the trick is for others not to notice it. I must admit I never once checked if those were his real eye color or the story he gave us was really true. For that I must apologize. He must really have a knack for disguises and tricks."

At this Hinata had to laugh quietly too. "My Naruto loved to play pranks on people. Not even the ANBU could stop him even as a kid."

"Not even the ANBU?"

"Nope."

"Interesting. What did your current Hokage do?"

At the last question Hinata again couldn't stop the smile that played her lips. "Naruto and the Hokage had a certain bond. Actually, he always seemed close with both Hokages. He seemed to get along with everyone." She got lost in the memories of the loud blonde.

_He got along with everyone… Except the village. But that was their stupid fault. _The note of the villagers tasted sour in her mouth. She looked out the window lost in thought.

"Well…" He stood up, looking very tall and powerful. "We had better be going."

"Going? Going where?" She stayed seated, watching as the man came around the desk picking up his hat and setting it on top of his head.

"Why to see Naruto of course." He answered simply before heading for the door.

"See… N-Naruto?" She asked nervously.

The man noted her nervous stutter and smiled at her comfortingly. "Yes, I do believe him and his team will be back by now. He will be so pleased to see you. He has missed his family a great deal."

"Family…" The dark haired woman murmured to herself. For the third time that day a happy smile danced across her face.

* * *

Konohamaru trudged along as the group made its way toward the Hokage's office. Few villagers stared as they passed by, probably wondering who the two newcomers were.

Konohamaru stifled a snort. This was how the villagers were no matter what, not caring if you were a from a different village or if you were the supposed demon fox.

It still disgusted him when he first learned about Naruto. When he first learned of why the villagers hated him for something that was way out of his power. Just because he held something that they feared.

He'd known that the Fourth had sacrificed his life for the villagers, even Naruto's. Because Naruto was born that day the Fourth was able to safe all of their lives. And how did they repay him. By oscillating him. Abandoning him. It disgusted him even more when he learned that the Fourth had told them to look at him like a hero. Still they ignored his last request and shunned Naruto.

Konohamaru couldn't look a single villager in the eye, none of them. And he still wouldn't. That is except the few who had accepted Naruto as himself and not the Kyuubi himself, such as Teuchi and his daughter. He'd always like them.

Now as he passed by he saw the villagers watching them, not with fear and anger but with curiosity. Most of them probably didn't even know that Kyuubi existed before the attack. None of them would be afraid of strangers walking through their village; well, as long as there were ninja nearby. They certainly didn't care about the young man with blazing hair and eyes with a feral fox as a companion, nor two young and rather odd and skillful ninja.

The Fourth, or Minato as he wanted them to call him, and his team were leading them-only a couple feet in front- to the Third. Or also known as his grandfather.

Konohamaru's insides were lead, weighing him down. He felt like he could barely walk, let alone meet his deceased grandfather. The thought made him squirm.

_How will he react? He won't recognize me, I know that, but that doesn't mean I won't do something stupid that'll hint that I know him, or at least related to him._

His mind whirled with questions that e wanted answer. But there was one main one: Why did you have to leave me?

He wanted to know why he chose to die. Wanted to know why he went out to confront Oorochimaru knowing full well that he might not be coming back alive. Why? Why did he do that? Why?!

He was snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a nudge on his shoulder. Looking up he saw that Naruto had poked him with his finger trying to get his attention. It looked like he'd bee doing it for a while.

"Hey, finally got your attention! Thought I'd lost you there. What were you thinking of that was so important? You looked like you were at war with yourself." His expression didn't say much, but his eyes showed all the concern that he held. "Konohamaru?"

"It's nothing. Just wondering if everyone back home knows me and Hanabi are gone." He knew that Naruto knew he was lying. The blonde accepted it anyway, knowing full well that he'd get the answers sooner or later.

"Don't think that'll happen." He lowered his voice so that only Hanabi and Konohamaru could hear him. "Nothing of the future has happened yet."

"**I'll bet that because you said that it'll most likely not happen."** The Kyuubi said, grinning. **"That's generally the case when we're in situations."**

Konohamaru took that to thought then looked at his 'brother' raising an eyebrow. "'Generally the case?'"

Naruto looked away. "No…"

Konohamaru raised it even higher.

Finally the blonde sighed. "Yes…"

At this time Hanabi cut in, looking at the fox that was walking next to Naruto. "Would you please not speak out loud in case someone hears you. There is always a chance of a coincidence. Also, you creep me out so I don't wanna here you talk. That's just abnormal." Konohmaru was amused to see her shudder a bit.

The Kyuubi snickered. **"We live in a world with ninja, demons, hosts, and summons and you think a talking fox is abnormal. I'm the Lord of Chaos, I have the right to talk. You should be used to it by now."**

"Well I'm not." Hinabi snapped, anger flashing. "Now shut your mouth!"

Both Konohamaru and Naruto laughed at that, although softly so they wouldn't attract even more attention. The Kyuubi just snickered and snapped at the Hyuga who gave a small shriek.

Then they were at the building. They entered through the front doors and was immediately stopped by woman, most likely an assistant. She had a her hair in a tight bun and was holding a clipboard almost professionally. She looked like she had a sour taste in her mouth.

"I'm sorry but if you're here for the Hokage he's not here at the moment. You'll have to wait till he returns." She didn't even bother to wait for them to answer, instead she just went back to her desk and continued on with her work, seemingly ignoring them.

"Uh-huh…" Naruto said. They all said nothing. Then…

"What a bitch!" Hanabi whispered loudly, breaking the uncomfortable silence. It was so loud Konohamaru wouldn't be surprised if the 'bitch' herself heard.

The Kyuubi let out a rather large guffaw, it booming in the room. To people who weren't used to it, it sounded like a snarling rapid dog threatening to kill you. And since everyone except the sour-faced lady was at least a little accustomed to it they didn't really bother with it.

The sour-faced lady took a moment to find out where the sound was coming from and when she found it she paled considerably. Seeing a terrifyingly huge red fox laughing like a killer got to scare some people. She gulped. Grabbing her clipboard she hurried to the next room, completely forgetting about the work she was doing recently at her desk.

When she was gone everyone, that is except Hanabi, Minato, and Kakashi started laughing. Although all Rin did was giggle, barely making a sound.

Naruto patted Kyuubi on the head, ending it with a scratch behind his ears. The fox closed his eyes momentarily enjoying the sensation. It was the first time that the two looked like companions. "Nice. Real nice."

Konohamaru grinned at Hanabi, who looked like she couldn't believe anyone could befriend such a monster. She spotted him grinning at her and couldn't resist grinning back. They shared a moment of understanding, then it was gone.

Minato, who Konohamaru saw out of the corner of his eye, was staring at Naruto like he was trying to figure out something. Konohamaru had a flash of panic as he thought that Minato was getting suspicious of Naruto, but it quickly faded when he saw the small hint of a smile.

_He's probably seen Naruto and the Kyuubi in some weird times. This is most likely the first time he's seen them like this. It looks kinda normal…_

The normality was completely ruined when Naruto and Kyuubi started wrestling right then and there. Kyuubi tackled Naruto to the ground, knocking the breath out of him. He set his front paws on his shoulders so he couldn't get up and his hind legs on his thighs, professionally immobilizing him. Kyuubi growled in triumph. But was cut off as Naruto rolled over and forced him on the ground, wrapping his arms around his snout so he wouldn't be able to bit, nip, snarl, or tear in anyway. They went on for quite a while.

"It was going so well being a normal ninja and his companion. Where did it go wrong?" Obito said to the sky. He lifted his arms to emphasize the point.

Kakashi patted his shoulder. "I think we expected to much. Lets go one little step at a time." Konohamaru gave a slight cough to cover his laugh.

Minato, Rin, and Hanabi were just staring at the two wrestle, looking like they could be entertained for a while. The rest looked down at the two to see Naruto get Kyuubi in a headlock.

"Ha! Told you I would do that to you! You didn't believe me but here we are now!" All Naruto got was a growl in return, then in turned into a snarl. "Like hell you could do that. Now say it! Say mercy!" There was another snarl. It sounded like a challenge.

"This is topping my abnormal scale for today. Anyone else?" Obito asked, looking at everyone.

Kakashi raised his hand almost immediately. "Sorry Obito but this beats when you and Sensei had that-"

"Okay that's enough! I vote this day has been weird, now lets get going and look for the Hokage!" Minato interjected breaking Kakashi and Obito apart. He looked uncomfortable.

Rin smiled sweetly, Konohamaru didn't trust it. "What's wrong Sensei? Don't you remember the time that-" She couldn't finish the rest as Minato came and slapped his hand across her mouth, enabling her not to speak any further.

Konohamaru's eyes flashed mischievously as he smiled. "Ooh, I would love to hear what this is about." Hanabi nodded eagerly in agreement.

"It's not real bad for me but it's really embarrassing for Sensei. Okay, we went on a D class mission and what happened wa-" Before he could finish Minato grabbed the Uchiha boy by the back of his shirt and carried him away, along with Rin, who was across his shoulder. He called back to Kakashi, who he had left behind.

"Kakashi you'd better not tell them! Remember! We have training tomorrow! You guys wait for the Hokage! Meet you later!" Soon he wasn't visible to their eye.

Kakashi sighed. "Idiots. Well, see you later." He waved them off.

"Wait, aren't you suppose to wait with us? If you aren't then can't you at least tell us what's so embarrassing?" Konohamaru asked. He really wanted to know._ Oh so very badly._

"Can't. He decided what we train. I'm not going through hell if I can avoid it. That's the first thing I've learned since being put on the same team as Obito." He said this as if it was final, but Hanabi wouldn't have it.

"C'mon! Please!"

"No."

"Please!"

"You'd better tell her, man" Konohamaru thought it was at least fair to warn the boy.

"No."

"Just a hint!"

"I said no!"

"Fine have it your way!"

"Okay then! Now go away!"

"Actually, no. I'm very persistent."

"Dude, she's not kiddin'." The teen sighed as he didn't take the hint.

"I said no! Now get away! I said away!

"Tell us!"

"No!"

"Grab him!"

"What the-!?

"Quick! Before he escapes! Now!"

"Let go!"

"Sorry dude." Konohamaru pitied the boy, really he did.

"Let go! Now!"

Kakashi ran for his life from the killer female ninja chasing after him. Konohamaru sighed, praying for the genin. Wearily he ran after them, knowing full well that it wasn't going to end well. It never did. He would know.

"Hey Naruto! I gotta make sure Hanabi doesn't kill your future teacher. So I'll be back in a while, kay?"

"Got it! Arg!" Looking back Konohamaru saw that the Kyuubi had gotten control of the tumble and was now on his 'brother's' back, pushing down on his paws, forcing the air out of him.

"Alright…"

* * *

"Lets go back. I don't think we'll find him right now." The Third said, sighing. "He'll come back sooner or later, he needs to eat Teuchi's ramen sometime."

Hinata sighed sadly, shoulders slumping. They had been searching for a while now, but still they could not find the blonde. From the ninja stationed at the fronts gates they found out that he had come back near around fifteen minutes ago. They even said that they had some weird ninja with them as well. Probably prisoners.

The Third put his old hand on her shoulder. She looked up into his twinkling eyes. "It's alright my dear. You'll get to see him. One way to another I'll see to that."

Hinata nodded. "I just want to see if he's really the same person I knew or if he's just to different that we'll never be friends again." There she'd said it, her fears. She hated admitting that she was scared of what he was like now.

They started walking toward the Hokage's office. The Third rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Name something about him. List some things that catches your eye." He said.

The pale eyed woman looked at him for a second then ran through all her memories and came up with some things she absolutely _adored_ of him. "Well, he was always smiling to make someone feel better, whether it was fake or not." She looked at the Hokage, he nodded. She continued on. "He was always determined, never wanting to give up. Not one moment since I knew him did he ever say 'You win.' It just wasn't in his vocabulary. He'd always express his opinion on anything and everything, no matter how much trouble it got him. People knew him as the Number One Knuckle-Head Ninja of Konoha. Never did he think the title was mocking him. He never fought for himself, but for his loved ones. He never gave up hope, even when everything seemed lost. He believed that people chose their own destiny, not that it was already made for them. That no one could decided what you did and how you did it. And that no matter what people said you would always be you."

The old man smiled. 'That was a rather long list."

Hinata blushed as she realized that for herself. There were a lot of things she loved about Naruto Uzumaki. There was much more on the list than just those simple qualities. She also loved how made friends everywhere he went. Always making them and never losing them. She loved when he would smile a true smile, the ones that showed his teeth, and it would reflect off the beautiful clear blue orbs he called eyes. Hinata had to admit with a blush that she was in love with Naruto's whole entire being.

"Yes, I know." She said quietly. She tapped her fingers together, trying to occupy herself.

A hand set itself upon her hands, stopping her tapping. "My dear, I do think you're in love with him. Even after all this time with him gone your feelings have stayed the same. That is pure love." He let his black eyes bore into hers, almost daring her to disagree.

Hinata looked down, her blush deepening from a light shade of pink to a darker red. Her face was now the color of a tomato. "I guess you're right."

The Third let out a rough laugh. "It's clear as night and day. I think the only person who doesn't know would be the young man himself. I'm so sorry your lover is so thickheaded." He shook his head from side to side as if he was scolding the man that was no where near him.

"Well…Mmm." Hinata didn't know what to say. What did you say when someone told you that you were in love and that the person you loved was a total knuckle head? She honestly didn't know.

"Yes, your right. We should head back to the tower. We will have to make some arranges about your stay here. You will also have to take on the image you have now every time you go out in public. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I don't want anyone knowing of who you really are." He was motioning of how she had 'traded' her Hyuga eyes for dull violet ones. And how she had completely changed her wardrobe.

She had traded in her tan jacket for a dark blue shirt with sleeves that ended right below her elbows. A net-like undershirt was right beneath it. The blue shirt's V neckline showed the necklace she wore that brandished a small sun made of iron. She had gotten rid of her headband, making her feel naked without it proudly showing her village symbol. She was relieved that the Third had allowed her to keep it folded in her pocket-just for safe measures. She wore black shorts that went down to her knees; where her shorts stopped some bandages started wrapping around. She knew she looked like a random citizen and it just didn't feel right in her mind. Although, the few pockets in her shorts held as many weapons as it could carry without anyone noticing, as did the secret pocket on her shirt. On either side if her shoulder blades underneath her shirt were small, but sharp kunai hiding from the world. Not only that she had her jutsu too; she would be well prepared if anything came to a fight.

"It's fine."

"Shall we head back then?" He offered her his hand to lead the way back with; he was dead serious but there was something comical about it. She laughed and an amused twinkle came in his eyes. "To Naruto?"

"To Naruto." She couldn't help but hear the people around her talk as they passed by. Apparently the Hokage didn't come out much and here he was leading a mysterious woman to the tower. Then she heard more, that it had started when the mysterious figure and his fox companion came to the village. It wasn't until they had walk a few blocks when she heard the yelling. The yelling that sounded oddly familiar; since she had heard it over the years of her life.

"TELL ME!"

Hinata whipped around, letting go of the Hokage's arm in the process, to see the owner of the voice. What she saw boggled her mind.

There in the middle of the street was her younger sister Hanabi. She had apparently cornered some poor person and was yelling at them to tell her something important. Hinata saw the expression on her sister's mind and knew instantly what was going on.

_She had wanted some information and no one had told her. I've seen this to many times not to see the signs. _One side of her lips came up in a entertained smirk. Then the shock began to engulf her again. _Wait! Hanabi?! Why is she…? Where's…?_

Her unsaid, unfinished question was answered seconds later as a tall teen came walking in the picture. The thing that made him recognizable to her eye was the blue scarf coiled around his neck; his clothes looked new but he still looked like he had just gone through a fight. He had his hands in his pockets and casually walked over to the over curious, over excited girl. Hanabi too looked tired.

"Hanabi, you don't need to go chasing after everyone who doesn't give you information." Konohamaru said coolly as he stepped close to the girl. He chuckled as he stated, "You probably made Kakashi pee his pants."

She froze. _Kakashi…_ She turned her head up a fraction of an inch to see the boy Hanabi had cornered. She then saw the silver hair that poked up, half of the face that some of the strands of hair framed was covered in a blue mask.

"Hmm… Now who are they?" A voice said coming from behind her. The Hokage was still behind her, she had totally forgotten. "Is it just me or is more strangers just popping up in this village?"

She didn't answer, she quickly walked toward her sister. She could sense the Third following her, but didn't look back to check; her eyes were only on Hanabi. Konohamaru and Hanabi had their backs to her so they couldn't see her approach them. The girl still hadn't noticed her as she was still complaining about the data she didn't know.

"I don't see why he can't tell me. It's not like anyone's going to die if he tells me." She looked at the masked genin. "Why won't you tell me you little twerp!"

"Don't hurt me or anything, but you don't need to know every little detail. It's kinda-" He stopped suddenly and Hinata could see the back of his neck tense up. He had sensed Hinata. _He really does have incredible chakra sensing abilities. Wow. _His whole body relaxed immediately relaxed as he recognized the newcomers. He smiled widely at Hanabi, who still had an annoyed look on her face. "Hope you like your surprise."

"What are you talki-!" She was cut off right away as Hinata wrapped her arms around her and hugged her as tight as she could. She gasped as Hinata was hugging her, but couldn't turn around or do anything else since her older sibling wouldn't let go. "Hinata?!"

Once Hinata let go she didn't have anything else on her mind but, "Stop interrogating all the people around here just for information."

Although, Hanabi looked happy to see her sister she retained her annoyed look. "I'm not interrogating everyone here! I just wanted to know some embarrassing stories about the Fourth Hokage!" She explained herself with a dramatic sigh. "Interrogating.. Psh. I don't interrogate. I just politely ask them to tell me so I don't have to hurt them. That's all."

She missed her sister and worried about her so much that Hinata didn't even scold her, she just laughed with joy and hugged her again. This time Hanabi softened and returned the embrace lightly. She then remembered the Third Hokage and let go and twiddled her finger at once.

She saw that the Third was looking at Konohamaru. His eyes were intense as he laid eyes on the teen, noticing ever little detail. The blue scarf around him, the cold calculating look in his eyes, and the piece of his headband sticking out of his pocket; just barely seen. His eyes took a curious hue when he started looking at Konohamaru's physical appearance; his height, hair, and way of stance. It looked like the Third was comparing him to someone. It was possible he was noticing the similarities between Konohamaru and himself or even maybe some other family member in this time.

That's when she once again noticed Konohamaru standing their quietly. She then tackled him in a hug. Then she remembered that they had gone missing and made her troubled. She then lightly smack him on the head, doing the same to her sister, ignoring the complaint.

"What happened to you guys! I got so worried! I let you guys go out ahead to scout and look what happens!?" She scolded them. They didn't look her in the eye; she knew she sounded like a pestering mother, but she was just worried about them. After she deemed the innocent enough she smiled gently at them. "It's okay though, everyone's safe now."

Konohamaru rubbed the back of his head as he smiled big. "It was kinda my fault."

"Kinda?" Hanabi asked skeptically, crossing her arms against her chest.

"Okay, it was all my fault."

"That's right. You better admit it."

"Are you going to let me finish?" he asked as she interrupted him. She lifted both her hands up in a stopping motion. "Well, you see I sorta fell in a hole."

"You fell in a hole?" Hinata asked crossing her arms just like her sister had done moments before.

"That's exactly what I said." Hanabi said, nodding. "What an idiot."

"Okay, you fell in the hole too!"

"I like to look at the future and not the past." She said with dignity. This just made Konohamaru laugh. When he just continued to laugh she yelled, "Shut up!"

He didn't shut up, in fact Hinata joined in with the laughing after a while. When Hanabi couldn't take the laughing anymore she stormed off, in the direction of the tower. Hinata heard a small chuckle coming from the Third who had watched the entire process with soundless observation.

"Well, that was amusing. But sadly, we must continue on to the tower." The old man didn't even question the presence of the pair, he seemed to trust them. This surprised the young Hyuga heiress.

He gesture toward the path he and Hinata were just on. Hinata looked at Konohamaru and nodded. They started walking in the direction, but stopped when the Third said, "I will be with you in a moment, I mist consult with Kakashi here. Your friend seemed to have scared him."

The looked back and saw the silver haired genin still standing where Hanabi had cornered him, watching the proceeding. He looked at them with bored black eyes. He didn't look scared one bit, but the Hokage went to him anyway and whispered something to the boy's ear. The boy's eyes flickered to the old man and then back to the three figures down the road. He nodded silently as the Third Hokage asked him something. When the old man stepped back the masked boy nodded once more before running off.

"What was that about?" Konohamaru asked suspiciously. At his tone the Hokage slanted his head to the side.

"Nothing I just wanted him to notify his sensei to meet with me tomorrow afternoon. It is getting close for him to start his status as Hokage and I want him as prepared as possible." He explained, leaving no room for debate. He walked down the path to join Hanabi who was standing there waiting for them, still looking peeved.

Hinata soon followed but the look on Konohamaru's face didn't escape her. It was a look of distrust.

"Come on Konohamaru. He's your grandfather, you don't have to make a distance between you two." She smiled at him. "We can trust him, after all he is our Hokage. We know him."

"Yeah, okay." He walked to join her. Walking in silence and keeping pace with each other, trying to catch up with the others. Who they could see have a conversation in which both were totally engrossed in, even Hanabi in her pissed mood. After a while he shattered the silence, "Sometimes the people you think you know and the people others know are two different people."

Before she could say more he jogged up ahead to join Hanabi at her left, away from the Third.

She frowned at his statement, watching him as he casually put an arm over Hanabi's shoulder. Her sister didn't seem to notice or if she did didn't seem to care.

_What did you mean by that?_

* * *

**Author's comments:**

**N: We can totally create some drama.**

**M: True dat**

**N: Who's point of view now? **

**M: Hmmm… I dunno know. Hello peeples! =}**

**N: Why hello everyone on planet Earth! This is chapter 12! Now get off your lazy butts and go on fan fiction today!**

**M: Call now!**

**N: Umm… They can't call… Unless you wanna give out your phone number…**

**M: Mail now!**

**N: There you go girl.**

**M: Do you think they'll write?**

**N: They haven't reviewed so far so… No.**

**M: Oh. Boxes are for squares! Don't be a box.**

**N: Oh wait! We have to say something important! Our first review-er! **

**M: Yes! AnDaPyM, Thanks a bunch! We totally appreciate it! **


	13. Chapter 13

_Okay… HELLO EVERYONE! This is M talking (like you care) and I was just going to congratulate you all_! _(CONGRADULATIONS!) You might ask 'Why?' so I will answer! It's for sticking with this booger of a story! As I have already mentioned at least once that this is me and my sister's first story… so, yeah._

_Thoughts are italicized_

"Regular talking have quotes."

**The Kyuubi just think/talking to Naruto are bolded.**

_**Demon's thoughts are bolded and italicized.**_

"**Demon speech is bolded and quoted."**

_We do not own Naruto or its characters._

_Okay now that that's out of the way we can continue with our story! So… Here's chapter 13! Enjoy!_

* * *

Sasuke ran his hand through his hair, trying to waste time as he waited for the scouts to come back. It had been sticking out in places for some time, which had been bothering him greatly, but no matter what he did it made no difference. He tried blowing the extra strands away but that had no better result.

_Damn hair._

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw the rest of the group gathered in a tight circle, surrounding someone. That someone was Shikamaru. He had been made in charge of this mission, like always. Wearing the standard jonin attire, his hair in its normal ponytail, he stood in the middle of the circle talking in deep tones. His expression was that of a bored man forced to do something that he didn't want to do, but there was a spark of brilliance beneath his eyes.

Paying close attention to him was the rest of him rest of his team, consisting of Chouji and Ino. Sasuke barely knew anything about the fat one, not really caring if he did. Even after all the years that had pasted by he frankly didn't care. Ino on the other hand was a different story. He knew a lot about her, seeing how she always wanted him to know so much about her. Her 'crush' was small and stupid in the Uchiha's eyes. She'd always tried to make his feelings change for her, but they never did, thank Kami they didn't. She hadn't change much over the years, only that she had grown her hair longer, her bangs going past her chin, covering most of one side of her face.

As if sensing his gaze the blonde turned and gave him a dazzling smile then quickly turned away before anyone could see it. Sasuke resisted the urge to shiver, not wanting to think what went through her mind. Ino was the only person-besides Hinata and that was on the dobe-that never got over her first crush. Still she was chasing after him. Still he was rejecting her. And still she kept on coming back.

_Damn woman. Can't take no for an answer. Freaking annoying. _Sasuke stretched along the tree, his arms behind his head. The bark was hard, but he was used to rough seating so it didn't bother him. He let one of his legs dangle, wanting at that moment to be lazy like Shikamaru.

Looking once more he observed the group below, wanting to be sure of his surroundings. There was Kiba and his overgrown fur-ball Akamaru, and sitting next to him was Shino, the only person who could win Sasuke at a staring contest. Creepy weirdo. Sitting next to _him_ was Lee-or Mini Gai as some people called him-yelling on about the power of youth to Tenten, who Sasuke highly doubted was listening. She was staring out at the trees, probably looking for her little Hyuga boyfriend. Everyone knew they liked each other, they just didn't want to admit it. It was quite sad really. And of to the side was Sai, the new 'replacement' for Naruto. He sat alone at the edge of camp looking up at the sky with a thoughtful look on his face; he didn't seem to be paying attention to Shikimaru's speculation either.

Sasuke closed his eyes, only half listening to Shikamaru's talk about dealing with the Akatsuki members that the Leaf already knew about. He didn't really care for that either. None of it actually. The Akatsuki could burn in hell for all her care, all he was truly focused on was finding the dumb idiot. All he wanted was to get the blonde back where he belonged. He couldn't hate the dobe if he wasn't here to hate. Although he would never admit it he actually missed the stupid blonde. That was complete bull to Sasuke, and to everyone else if he was right.

"Dumbass." He muttered crossly, imaging the stupid smile set on his face. He hated that smile, yet it was so important to his life.

"I hope you're not talking to me."

He cracked an eye open and turned his head to the left of him, and slightly down to see who had spoken. His eyes caught the bright pink hair of his teammate. Sakura Haruno. Best medic in Konoha and maybe in all the villages; only second to her teacher, Tsunade of the Legendary Sannins and she herself pronounced Sakura was soon to be excelling her.

"Nope." Like hell he would. His teammate wasn't just known for being a top medic. She also inherited some other abilities, like her monster strength. Not only that but a monster temper that could spark up easily. Anyone getting in her way would be crushed. Sasuke was quiet not stupid.

The pink haired ninja gave him the same smile Ino did telling Sasuke that she had seen it, but this one had more malice than flirt. The flirt was still there but it was covered by the malice. On one side the smile plainly said Come-On-Closer-If-You-Want, but it also said Piss-Me-Off-I'll-Kill-You. It was hard to figure out what she wanted.

Sasuke was glad that she had matured and gotten over him. Well, almost. She was still interested-he knew-from hearing Ino and her talking about him, but she wasn't as desperate as Ino. And for that he was grateful. He didn't want more than one girl clinging onto him during missions.

"Oh, good! Now get down here and actually listen to what Shikamaru has to say. It might actually help you out." He got out of his slouched and jumped down to the ground in one swift movement. His feet made a soft _thud _as he landed. He looked at her expectantly and she replied with pointing her finger toward the group talking. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and made way toward the group with Sakura trailing right behind him. Shikamaru smirked as he saw him approach with the Sakura right behind making it impossible for him not to come over.

"Nice to have the honorable Uchiha join us." The lazy, young man's sarcastic remark didn't affect Sasuke in any way. All he replied with was a "Hn" as he sat down. Sitting down as far away from the flirtatious blonde as he could. "As I was saying the Akatsuki have a variety of members ranging in classes and strength. But no matter what don't count them out in any way, it might be the last mistake you ever do. There's a chance we might not even meet them for our mission but it's unlikely."

"If we're talking about the dobe then we should just take out the possibility of not meeting them." Sasuke's side comment was meant to be unheard. Of course… it wasn't.

"He is Naruto after all." Choji mumbled as he stuffed some chips into his mouth and chewed loudly. Where he got the bag of chips was beyond the Uchiha.

Shikamaru sighed loudly, "Speaking of… Naruto. We have to be ready for whatever hits us. We all have to understand that he might not be the same person we all knew as kids." Everyone, Sasuke was sure, noticed the slight pause before the name as if he had trouble saying it out loud. As for the statement, everyone wished it wouldn't come to that. They wanted their unpredictable, hyperactive, over excited blonde friend again. Then the lazy nin said on a personal note, "I do miss the guy. I do hope he's the same person I remember."

"He'll be the same person. Don't you worry about it." The person who said this was Sakura from behind him. She said it with confidence and let no room for argument. Then again, this time to herself, she said, "He'll be the same person."

He heard a small guffaw and looked over to see Kiba and he canine companion sitting near him. "I still remember when the idiot would run around the village telling everyone he would be Hokage."

"Yes! He was most youthful!" None other than Lee. His eyes burned with 'youthfulness'. "He did many impressive things, things that I could expect only from one on my rivals!"

Sakura laughed. "Remember when he painted Hokage Mountain?"

"How can I forget?" Ino asked with a laugh of her own. She smiled, no flirtatious side to it. "He was being chased by the ANBU all around the village and when he escaped each time he came to us and bragged."

"I remember when he called Tsunade-sama a old hag and stole her sake right out of her hand.' Tenten chimed in.

"That was the most stupidest thing anyone could have done." Sakura shook her head in wonder. "And he lived after all of it was over. Tsunade didn't even punch him that time, she just laughed."

"Yeah, I don't know how that worked." Kiba said. Akamaru barked his agreement at his master's side.

"That dobe always knew how to get on someone's good side. And even though it never did him any good, on someone's bad side. But oddly enough, it came out good in the end." Sasuke observed. He looked around and saw that everyone was lost in their own memories of the blonde. He also saw that Sai had come closer to the circle of people, in hearing distance. He watched them with unblinking, curious eyes. He hadn't met Naruto and Sasuke felt kinda sad for the guy. The feeling immediately left him when he remembered the black haired man insulted Naruto right in front of Sakura and him. _No balls my ass._

Sai, plainly said, was a weird little boy. He was raised to not show emotions, or rather not have any emotions. It was something to do with being a better ninja. Not feeling an ounce of emotion when killing someone. Now that was plain bull. It also didn't help that he dressed like a stripper. A male striper. He wore a black shirt that ended a bit to high, showing his stomach clearly to the world. A black jacket covered that, which was as short as the shirt. It had grey colored fur at the hood and a Konoha symbol sewed on right below his shoulder. Gladly he had on regular, standard black ninja pants. Sasuke would kill himself if he saw shorts. Kill himself… Or better yet kill Sai.

_If I didn't kill him someone else surely would._ Even as he thought it he knew it was true. Oddly enough to Sai, people thought his comments were offensive. He didn't think he was doing anything wrong. Weird.

Shikamaru sighed and raised a hand to silence everyone. "I'm sorry but I have to continue on. We've gotta get back to business. Everyone quieted, looking at him intently.

Then the lazy ninja started to talk more about the Akatsuki. And this is where Sasuke zoned out; again, not caring. He just pretended to be listening so no one would tell him off. By no one he meant Sakura.

He was beginning to actually doze off and threatened to fall asleep when someone nudged his shoulder. His head snapped up immediately, looking for danger. He found none.

"Huh?…"

"Stay awake! Shikamaru's starting to explain the villages that we're gonna pass by. You'd better listen, it might be important!" When he didn't answer Sakura punched him lightly. Well, as lightly as she could manage. It was like being hit by a boulder. And he had to say, it _hurt_.

"Ow-!"

"Shutup and stay awake!" She whispered angrily shaking his arm. No one was paying much attention to them, they were all focused on the information about the villages and Akatsuki. All except Sai was intently observing them. It was all a play to him. He looked like he was gathering some information and trying to put something together, like a puzzle.

"Fine." Sasuke mumbled, rubbing his shoulder. "Damn woman."

It was most likely that Sakura heard the last part but chose not to say anything, probably hoping to save the Uchiha some pain. Sasuke himself was hoping that she wouldn't punch him. Ever since Naruto had left he had talked more than usual and gave Sakura more reasons to punch him. It was quite depressing on Sasuke's part and he marveled at how Naruto never once yelled at Sakura or hit her back. It took all his will power not to do so. It also was logical since in a fist fight Sakura would defiantly win, which was even more depressing to his male pride.

He checked out the clearing once more and saw a slight change in two people: Lee and Tenten. Tenten was pacing back and forth in front of the spandex wearing freak who kept checking the forest around him.

_It looks like the Hyuga has been out to long. Hmm… Wonder what's keeping him and everyone._

"They should be hear by now." The Uchiha heard Tenten mumble and see Lee bob his head in a agreeing motion yelling about how youth should be respectful to time itself and how it's an essence to… blah blah blah.

Sasuke had stopped listening and was getting bored. He seemed to get bored so easily nowadays. Yeah, he was kinda worried/curious why the rest of his team were taking to long, but didn't change the fact that he was bored. He could hear Sakura behind him shuffle off somewhere. He saw her at the corner of his vision and saw that she had gone over to Sai. His head came up an inch in interest. Sakura wasn't very fond of the painter as she had complained about him to Sasuke multiple times.

The painter seemed startled as she came over. He looked even more as she bent a little to whisper something in his ear. He nodded once at the thing she said and shook his head as she whispered something else. Sakura pulled up to stand up straight and had a look of thoughtfulness as she bit her lip. She didn't whisper what she said next but it was so quiet Sasuke, with all his straining, couldn't hear it. Then as she was about to turn and walk away when Sai said something. This time Sasuke was prepared and heard it, although it was still pretty quiet.

"What if he doesn't want to be found or even rescued?" He asked her. Her response was clear and a little louder this time.

"You don't know him like I do. He wants to be found alright."

"Can you say that truthfully? You don't know what goes on inside his or anyone else's head." Sai told her. He seemed to much in tune with other people's feelings without feeling his own emotions. He did raise a good argument and Sakura was taken back for a moment.

"I've known him long enough to know what he truly wants."

"What he truly wants? Are you sure it just isn't what you truly want? Or anyone else's want here? Can you say with certainty that he wants it?" She didn't say anything more, her lips pressed tightly together. "No. I guess not."

He was about the stand when Sakura spoke. "Are you going to do it or not?"

"I am able to do it."

"Yeah, I know. But are you going to do it?"

"…"

"Well…?"

"Yes."

She sighed, visibly relaxing. What the painter said next made that icy coldness come back to her eyes though.

"Let me tell you something. It's never the painter that controls what goes on the paper. It's the painting itself. Sakura, you and everyone else here are the painters, but this painting won't listen to you. It has its own plans."

Sai then stretched his arms, rolling back his shoulders, and walked away. The pink haired woman stood there for a moment before heading back toward Sasuke. She didn't stop when she came to him though, she kept going. Past him. He looked up at her and raised his eyebrow quizzically, but she didn't look at him. She kept on walking.

Sasuke watched her walk away. He didn't see a girl almost bouncing with excitement but a young women undergoing more stress than she was permitted. It pained him slightly to see her this way. When the blonde was there she seemed more relax, besides her screaming at him. She was better off with him, not without. They all were.

Sasuke sighed knowing he was getting to gloomy. He was doing that a lot these days. The down side of life seemed to pop up in his head more often than he wanted it to. There was no blonde to brighten it up anymore.

_Hopefully things will work or at least get easier._

His thought seemed to activate a chain of events because at that moment all hell broke loose.

* * *

It was so dark in the cave that not even the best of eyes could pick out the figures inside it. If one could see than they would see multiple silhouettes have many conversations with one another. Well, most of the figures. Of to the side watching them all was a man with bright orange hair. He wore the cloak that the rest of them brandished but had a unique piercing down the sides of his nose.

Behind him stood a large, ancient looking statue. It's characteristics consisted of a large oval face with multiple eyes and numerous stone hands with their palms pointing upward. Some of its many eyes were partially open, only a slit.

It told the story of their failure every time someone looked on it. It was the only time they had a loss and it was done by a particular person. They had successfully captured the four-tailed beast and was extracting the bjiuu when they were rudely interrupted and their planned spoiled. But not now. Not again. No one would stop their seek for peace for this battle-worn world. Sacrifices had to be made and this was the simplest way it could happen; after all was done peace would reign the world.

"Kisame… Itachi." His quiet, deep voice reached over to the pair's ears. Cutting off what the two were conferencing about he raised his hand in a sweeping motion toward the cave entrance. "It is time for your part of the plan to occur."

The blue fish-man grinned, showing all of his sharp teeth. "Great! Finally I can get some important killing done."

The fish's companion didn't say anything, but stared at their leader with his sharingan.

"Looks like you get to finish off the job you did all those years ago, Itachi. I hear your precious baby brother is with them." Kisame sneered as he mentioned the 'baby brother' and laughed at his next statement. "If you don't have the guts to do it this time than I will gladly do it for you."

Itachi didn't answer at first, aware of the Pein's eyes on him and Kisame's awaiting grin. Then he said inaudibly, "Mercy has no companion in this cave. It shall soon starve to death along with compassion and love. Hatred following soon after."

With saying that he headed toward the cave opening at a perfect and nice pace. Kisame soon followed after with another evil and cruel chuckle. They were quiet an odd pair; one shedding no emotion, the other showing no other feeling but the love of hurting others.

"Be aware of the pawns. They may be small, but they do have tricks up their sleeves as well." Pein had called out to them. Only to be returned with the blue skin one to look back and smile cockily at him.

"We'll have tricks up our sleeves too."

"True. Still, stay on alert. Pawns always have a chance to become a king once in a while."

* * *

Hinata was nothing less than sad when they came back to the Hokage's office and couldn't find a certain blonde anywhere. Short to say, it was a big put down.

"ASSWHOLE!" Hanabi yelled, her voice echoing in the empty room. Konohamaru only shook his head in disappointment. Apparently he could expect Naruto to be so stupid to leave. "I'M GONNA KILL HIM!"

"I don't think you really mean that, young miss." The Third said, clam as ever. The old man was looking around for something or someone. "Hm, I wonder where Soki has gone off two. That isn't usually like her." Both Konohamaru and Hanabi looked off in opposite directions guiltily. They didn't meet the Hokage's eyes, not saying a word.

The old man shrugged it off. He didn't look the slightest angered. "No matter, she'll come by sooner or later. I've been trying to give her a break and it will be for the better." He started walking up the stair to his office when he looked back. "Aren't you all coming?"

Konohamaru and Hanabi went without a word, not wanting to refuse him. Hinata on the other hand just stood there. He looked at her quizzically.

Hinata looked in the direction of the doors. "I think I'll walk around once more, just in case." She saw that Hanabi was going o object so she cut her off. "It won't take long. Besides, you two have to explain yourself to him. Tell him your part of the story. It'll most likely take a while." She looked at the Third pleadingly.

He sighed. "Very well than. You two," He said pointing at the two younger ninja in front of him. "better hurry up now."

Hinata watched them progress up the stairs. Hanabi glanced back at her with a worried look. It was written plainly on her face. She kept on staring her as she walked, only turning back when they were out of sight.

Truth was that Hinata felt something stir inside her. She suddenly had this strange feeling. It seemed to be telling her that she shouldn't stop looking. That she was so close. He was so close.

The pale eyes woman walked out the door in the brightness of the afternoon. Hinata squinted as her eyes adjusted to the light. The sky was clear blue, cloud free. The sun blazed down on her, making her heat up.

She turned around with new determination. She would find him one way or another. She took off in the direction of the northern part of town, the ramen shop. They had already checked it, but she remembered Naruto visiting the place multiple times each day when they were still genins. She doubted he would stop just because of the 'time difference'.

_Where are you Naruto?_

* * *

Naruto was laying back against the base of a tree on a particularly high branch. Even from the uncanny height his vision was razor sharp and he saw everything as if he was standing right next to it. He had a clear view of the ramen shop and his stomach grumbled hungrily. He had already stopped by the place twice today but it still wasn't enough for the young man. When he was a kid he would eat several bowls easily and still be hungry. Not much had changed.

He had left the waiting area outside the office in the Hokage office because frankly-he was bored. Plus, the Kyuubi had escaped his hold during the fight and just leaped out an opened window. So, naturally, Naruto had followed him out the window. Some curious eyes had found the boy jumping out the window but he had ignored them. The blonde had caught up with his dive to the Kyuubi's and grabbed him in mid air. The demon fox had unexpectedly bite his ear, making Naruto let go. They had separated and landed lightly on one of the roof tops. They were about to go at it again when Naruto's stomach had growled loudly, making them both laugh. The pair had just ran off toward the ramen shop when both realized they had nothing to buy it with. The disgruntled blonde had then jumped into the tree he was in now and sulked. On the other hand the Kyuubi, not being totally obsessed with ramen, had taken comfort to a spot in the gap between the ramen shop and its neighboring store. It was so small that the red fox had shrunk in size just to fit into it, now happily snoozing as his master sulked.

As Naruto sat there in the tree watching people go by, enjoying their lives, he thought of 'his' Konoha. The village he had left behind years ago. He though about it all the time he was gone from his beautiful home. Seeing Konohamaru and Hanabi again had reminded him of it and his important people. Even seeing people from the past made his heart lurch with depression.

Having to see Kakashi-sensei everyday hurt as well, making him think of the times he had spent with him and his team. All the missions they had went on and always succeeded in. Those missions always seem to take a turn for the worse and surprise them; but in the end they would always overcome it. Together.

Every time he saw Shikkaku he had an urge to clap him on the back and call him Shikamaru. He sometimes still would complain about him being lazy, like his son, but it just didn't feel right to Naruto. Every time he saw anyone that reminded him of the future he wanted to run off somewhere, but he knew he couldn't do that. He had to stay and be strong even though all he wanted to do was curl up somewhere and sulk.

Even now he saw someone with the Hyuga bloodline, the lavender eyes. It was a young woman and he had an image of Hinata and Neji come into his mind. He even missed Neji's stupid talk about destiny.

The woman had Hinata's hair color and length. The only thing that was different was the clothing style. She didn't wear Hinata's coat, but she did have that similar smiling face when she accomplished something. As he watched he saw her crouch down and offer food to something. He looked harder and saw that she was crouched in front of where Kyuubi had made himself comfortable among the two stores. He watched more closely and saw the demon fox come out from his spot and gingerly lick at the food being offered. The woman beamed and looked even more happy as he began to chew on the sustenance. Her eyes sparkled with joy and he saw that in fact they weren't the Hyuga eyes, but just a dull purple.

_That looks like Hinata. I wonder if it's someone related to her. Maybe her mom or something. _He frowned at a sudden thought. _Why isn't Kyuubi biting her? He bites everyone who tries to feed him, even me. Especially in this time period._

Naruto then remembered that the Kyuubi never made no remark about the pale eyed girl. Never. Not once. He spoke badly about everyone else Naruto knew, but never Hinata. A small smile set on Naruto's lips. _There was never any reason to hate her, even for the Kyuubi. She was to much of a good person._

Looking down he saw Kyuubi finish whatever he was eating and licking his chops. From their bond Naruto knew he was feeling lazy and content at the moment. Kyuubi always loved free food and sleeping, in that order. When he was done the woman offered her hand to sniff. The fox gingerly sniffed it and then allowed her to pet him.

Naruto had a moment of surprised before it was replaced with understanding. Where ever Hinata got the good heartedness this women had it as well. They had to be related. Naruto decided that he would speak to her.

He jumped down the tree and walked toward Kyuubi and the woman. As he got closer he heard her speaking.

"You have beautiful fur, do you know that? All the other animals must be jealous, huh?" She asked in a soft and calming voice, scratching the roots of Kyuubi's ears. He answered by giving a faint growl. His eyes found the blonde and had a playful twinkle in them.

_What?_

**Nothing. Nothing at all.** Naruto didn't know why but he felt kind of nervous when he said that. The good kind of nervous.

Naruto chuckled, standing right behind her. She made a surprised sound immediately standing erect. Kyuubi gave a small snicker, enjoying the moment. He seemed to think that he was going to get a kick out of all this. Naruto didn't know why.

"Sorry to scare you like that. Didn't mean for a sneak attack." He apologized, scratching his head. "It's just weird for someone to get on his better side. Rare actually."

The woman didn't move, her whole body stiff.

"Ummm, you okay?" He asked, concerned. Her stillness was a little weird for him. "Something wrong?"

Slowly, oh so slowly, the woman turned to him. Her pale eyes widened as she set them upon him. She looked pale, like she'd seen a ghost. Her whole face was set in major shock.

Hinata's 'mother' looked so much like her daughter that it was scary. They had the same face and everything. Hair. Same. Eyes. Same. Tender expression. Same. Body. Definitely the same. They was so similar to Naruto that he didn't think there was a difference.

_Now I know where Hinata gets it all._ Naruto thought numbly. He was still comparing the two when he suddenly remembered something. Hinata's mother was a ninja, not a civilian. And this woman was definitely dressed at a citizen. No weapons, no nothing. He frowned and looked back to her face. He again noticed that it was unusually pale.

"Hello? Anyone there?" He asked her, waving a hand in front of her face. "You okay?"

She said one thing that made him freeze, hand still in the air. One word. One name. His. "N-Naruto-kun…"

The Kyuubi at their feet started to laugh with loud bursts at the pair of them. Their eyes instantly went to his small, red form; which was rolling on the floor laughing. Naruto's lips turned down in a frown as he heard the Kyuubi's thoughts.

**Your pretty stupid, Kit. I mean COME ON! Seriously.** The fox stopped his rolling on the floor and stood up to shake off the dirt. With the pair's eyes still on him he rubbed against the girl's legs and arched his back like a cat. **I like this one. She gave me a meat cookie.**

"Where did you get a meat cookie?" He blurted out the question without thinking. He shook his head to clear it and looked at the woman with intensity and asked, "Hinata?"

"H-Hi." She raised her hand in a slight wave and moved it back and forth nervously. She squeaked in surprise at what he did next.

He tackled her in a hug and swung her around in the air. "I'm so glad to see you!" He openly smiled and ignored the people staring at them. The demon fox was still next to her legs and snaked his tail around her leg with a mischievous smile. "Did you know that Konohamaru and Hanabi are here too?!"

"Uh… I c-can't really t-talk with y-you hugging me so t-tight." Her voice was muffled since she was crushed against his chest. He quickly let go of her and she let out a long breath, trying to regain her breath. Her cheeks had a slight pink tinge to them as she looked at him. "Thanks."

"Oh, no problem! Sorry, I just haven't seen you guys in so long! Seeing Konohamaru and Hanabi was a great surprise and then you!" He rambled on, not noticing the pink in her cheeks to spread and got a little darker. "We could get some ramen! Wait, do you want ramen?… How did you end up here in the first place? Why are you here? Does anyone else know who you are? Have you seen anything mysterious?"

The questions rushed out of his mouth in an instant and it looked as if it was there were many more to come. Hinata brought up both hands in a 'stop' motion and when he did she sighed.

"W-We can't have ramen r-right now… Sorry." She smiled at him with old humor. "I'm not sure how I ended up here, and I'm here b-because I was on a mission searching for y-you. Yes, the H-hokage knows who I really am and no I haven't seen anything mysterious… What exactly is so mysterious?"

She said it in a hurry, no time for stuttering. He frowned and it deepened as he thought over her answers. He ignored her question and asked one of his own. "Searching for me?"

It distracted Hinata from her previous question as she blushed further and nodded. "Y-Yes. We, as in all of Konoha, have been worried about y-you. W-we have been looking for y-you for years. We just couldn't send out search parties forever and never had any leads on where y-you were."

"Really? You guys have been looking for me." He murmured, unable to believe it. The village that he had loved so much, that had hated him back had been missing him and looking for him. For years apparently. Hinata nodded eagerly with a smile on her face.

**You do have an impact on people. **

_I never knew anyone cared that much._

**You always cared about your 'important people' and never thought that they care about you back? **He said the phrase 'important people' with a disgusted tone. On the outside though he had jumped a far distance from the ground to Hinata's shoulder. She seemed slightly surprised and looked at him nervously as he grinned evilly at her. She cautiously brought her hand to pet his chest and he closed his eyes in pleasure. The demon looked like a common animal having the time of his life being stroked.

_Well…I sort of-_

**You have to give people a little more credit. You really are a knucklehead. **He had cut him off, not even opening his eyes as Hinata continued to pet him. Naruto had to smile at the scene. It was quite moving, in an odd way. Seeing a powerful, evil demon become all soft for a few strokes on the head was kind of cute.

"Of c-course we have been looking for y-you! No one could forget you! Your our friend! We all hoped we could find some sort of clue to where you were and an excuse to go out looking for you. We did eventually find one though." She got a crease between her eyes as her smiled turned into frown.

He was curious. "What was it?"

"I-It was… Akatsuki." She said quietly and probably noticed both Naruto and the Kyuubi froze at the name. "Naruto…"

"What was that?" He asked without emotion and stared down at the ground, not allowing the woman to see his hatred filled red eyes. She swallowed loudly, but told him anyway.

"Akatsuki. T-they have been spotted roaming around all five nations. The Village of the Sand was attacked r-recently but no one was harmed. The Kazekage t-took care of it, he wasn't hurt either. It seems like their m-motive is all about the tailed beasts." She was all business now. She didn't even flinch when he brought his gaze to her own as she announced their motive.

"Tailed beasts… You know." It wasn't a question.

"Yes, I know. Everyone knows. Once you left apparently there was no need for it to be kept a secret. S-some of the villagers thought you were dead… T-they had a f-festival for it." She said the last part with disgust and looked defiantly at him. "Don't worry about it N-naruto-kun. They don't know what their talking about. I know you aren't evil. Me and everyone else are all still y-your friends."

He relaxed his tense muscles as she said the last part. "Still friends…"

She looked down at her shoulder where the Kyuubi was still balanced on them. It looked up at her with fake innocent eyes and she smiled once more. Her hands continued pet the Kyuubi, who in return nuzzled it.

_You seem comfortable. _He said with a small smirk.

**So… Who says I can't make use of her. She gave me food, a good idea on her behalf. She also likes petting me. It feels good. Why don't you pet me like this? **He inquired as he growled quietly as Hinata scratched underneath his chin.

_Because you're a totally dilwhole._

**Whatever. Doesn't matter. Now that she's here I wont be hanging out on your shoulder. I hope she has more meat cookies. Maybe a steak. Better than the horrible stuff you eat.**

_I doubt she had a steak in her pocket. And ramen is awesome! You just don't like it because I like it. You complain about everything I do!_

**Damn… I could really go for a steak. Oh well, the petting is still nice. Still, ramen is still not my favorite. Hmmm… Laying here is too much work. Wait… I have a great idea.**

The red fox stretched himself, still retaining his balance, and went to lick Hinata's ear. The Hyuga giggled softly and picked the small animal and gently cuddled him in her arms. The fox looked a little smug as she continued to stroke him and carry him.

Naruto laughed lightly as he saw this. The damn fox was to lazy to even lay down. He had just beat Shikamaru in the art of laziness.

**I am the master.**

Naruto rolled his eyes. "So… How'd you get here?"

"I walked from the Hokage's office." She paused, smiling again. "It's just a few b-blocks away."

"Really…? What?! No! I mean how did you get _here_?" He asked, for once not wanting to joke around. Kyuubi on the other hand snickered at him. The fox loved a show.

"Oh… I d-don't know." She said. Looking at her Naruto saw that that was the truth. She truly didn't know. "I was looking for Konohamaru and Hanabi and then…" She led on, unsure.

"Can you remember anything? Anything at all?"

"No."

His looked at her when she answered, a little to quickly. He didn't push the matter. She would have a good reason for keeping something from him. Though at the end he would find out; it might be important information.

"Okay."

"So what now?" Hinata asked as the Kyuubi in her arms opened his eyes and looked at the blonde with the same curiosity that was shown in Hinata's. All the while, the stoking on the fox's fur kept on.

Naruto opened his mouth to reply when he heard a yell of recognition. He looked over to see Minato and two thirds of his team: Obito and Rin. He smiled at them and raised a hand in greeting. He looked at Hinata quickly and brought a finger to his lips in a silent motion. She looked confused until she saw Minato. Her mouth popped open with surprise but she quickly shut it and nodded once to Naruto.

As the trio came closer to them Hinata smiled. They hesitated as they saw her but her welcoming smile seemed to reassure them. They stopped in front of the couple and Naruto saw that Rin looked more cheerful than usual; she was literally bouncing up and down so much he was surprised she didn't start flying.

"Hi Naruto!" Rin announced happily. She looked at Hinata curiously with a merry smile of her own. "Who's this?"

"Oh… Uh…" He used the most intelligent words he could find in his vocabulary. "This is…"

**Smooth. Real smooth.**

"Hello. My name is Hinata." Hinata said calmly while she smiled wider. The trio looked her over, trying to decipher what kind of person she was. With her bright smile it would be pretty hard not to imagine her as a nice person. She was also really polite, giving respect when needed; which Naruto never did. "I'm a friend of Naruto's. May I ask who you are?"

Minato grinned charmingly at the young dark haired woman. "I'm Minato Namikaze. This is my team, well part of it at least. This is Rin insert last name and Obito Uchiha. The other is Kakashi Hatake, but he isn't here at the moment."

Naruto was impressed. Hinata didn't even blink when his sensei's name was mentioned. She just continued to smile politely at them and engage in a small conversation.

"How do you know Naruto?" The upcoming Hokage asked curiously. He knew that Naruto had left his important people for their safety. Anyhow, he was also pretty eager to learn more about Naruto.

"Oh…" She paused and looked at Naruto quickly, he nodded, and she returned her gaze on the others. "We go way back."

"Really?" Rin asked with a mischievous gleam in her eyes. "Like how back? When he was a kid?"

"Yes." She responded without hesitation.

"Oh my gosh! You have to tell me some embarrassing moments of his! Please!" Rin squealed with humor.

Hinata couldn't help but laugh. She looked at Naruto with some humor. "There are so many. It's hard to pick one."

**I like the one where you had to go training in your boxers and it got caught on a bush.**

_I wasn't able to break free okay?! _

**You're a ninja. It was a BUSH!**

_Pretty str__ong bush._

The Kyuubi made a loud snort. Hinata had stopped petting him. With a small apology in her sweet voice Hinata resumed her stroking. Obito finally seemed to notice that the Kyuubi was in her arms. He gaped as he saw how the fox didn't even try to snap at her, but seemed to be enjoying time in her arms.

"He likes you." He stated. "He actually likes you. I thought I would never see the day he would like someone. He doesn't even like Naruto that much."

"Hey! He totally likes me!" Naruto said with dignity.

**Not really.**

"Okay. Maybe he likes you, but he bites you all the time." He motioned toward the satisfied fox. "I see no biting."

Hinata giggled. "He's pretty sweet." She rubbed the spot between his furry shoulder blades and his tail switched happily. "Anyway, I'm sorry we can't talk much more. We have a conference with the Third right now. I just came to get Naruto."

**See. She thinks I'm sweet.**

_What a totally air head you are._

Naruto was surprised for a second but then shrugged . He held up his hand to the trio and waved. "Oh. Then I'll see you guys soon, I guess."

"Yeah, okay." Rin seemed kinda depressed after she didn't get to know anything embarrassing about Naruto. She turned to Hinata suddenly. "We'll talk later! K'ay?"

"Okay." Hinata laughed lightly at the girl's eager expression. "It was nice meeting with you. All of you."

With that Naruto grabbed hold of Hinata's elbow and started steering her in the right direction. Hinata blushed as Naruto made the contact and it was so obvious that _even _Obito saw it. He grinned at the red color on her face.

"We have a meeting with the Third?" Naruto asked curiously as they were clear out of hearing from his father and his team.

"Y-yes, actually w-we do." Her darn stutter seemed to only come when she was talking to Naruto directly. "I, Ummm… K-Kinda ended up in h-his office."

"Oh… In his office?"

"Y-Yeah. I j-just opened my eyes and t-there I was, in his o-office." She looked away as he looked at her in turn. "H-he knows w-were we are f-from. He k-knows everything."

"This makes things a little easier, I guess. Wait he just believed you. Didn't thing you were crazy or something?"

She shook her head, her dark hair flying with it. She had stopped petting the Kyuubi, but he didn't seemed to mind. He was comfortable and seemed even more so when she clutched him closer.

**As I have mentioned before. I like this one. That other one you used to hang out with was way to fucking loud. Although it did amuse me how she hurt you so much. **He sighed. **Good times.**

_Yeah… Good times._

"Where is everyone else? Konohamaru and Hanabi didn't tell me much. I only asked them about how they got here."

"Well to my knowledge they would still be in the present. Konohamaru, Hanabi and me were suppose to be scouts. Along with Neji, but he went back to report our findings." She was pleased that she didn't stutter once and it showed .

"Hmmm… I've been wondering how I got here in the first place. It looks like there are others ways to go at it then."

**Yes you have been thinking over it and loosing many brain cells in the process.**

_You're so mean._

**Fucking deal with it.**

"How did you get h-here?" Less success with the stuttering.

"Oh, I found a rock." The Hyuga heiress stopped and raised her eyebrows doubtfully. "Yeah I know it sounds stupid, but it was shiniest rock I have ever seen!"

"…" She just stared.

"Okay that still sounds stupid. Would you believe me if I told you it was his fault." He asked with dignity, pointing at the lump of fur in her arms. She laughed at that and continued walking with Naruto along side her with a goofy grin on his face.

"You didn't change one bit Naruto."

He grinned wider as they came closer to the Hokage tower. He draped his hand over her shoulder, not noticing the red seeping on her face, and whispered something in her ear. "Thanks."

Looking like she was trying not to faint she asked casually, "What t-time are we in? I know it's t-the p-past, but when in the p-past?"

"Well, let's see. The Third is still in office, but he'll be stepping down in a week or so. I think." He bit his lip as he tried to remember. "I won't be born until five months from now. So the Kyuubi won't be attacking until then. Does that give you a fair amount of information to find out when we are?"

"Yes." She breathed as he leaned closer to her, trying comfort her. "What will happen if we're here when the Kyuubi attacks? What happens when you're here with your past self?"

"Don't worry! Everything will be fine until then! We'll find a way to get out of this mess."

He dropped his hand from her shoulder as they came to the door to the tower. He nodded to the guards on either side of the door. They didn't move; they seem to know why they were here. Hinata followed behind him as he walked in. The secretary was back again. She looked up as they approached and paled magnificently as she caught sight of the small fox in Hinata's arms. She stiffly stood up and walked, her face not leaving them, toward the door and opened it wide. She then pranced timidly back to her seat and stared at them with wide, fearful eyes behind black glasses.

Naruto smiled at her. "Thanks!" He didn't seem to notice the woman's apprehensive expression. He just walked in the door. He saw Hinata on the other hand smiled and swing one of her hands in an apologetic motion. The other hand was holding the Kyuubi, who grinned at her showing all of his teeth. The woman backed her chair away as she saw it. Then Hinata walked in the room, closing the door behind her.

The last thing the secretary saw before the door closed completely was the evil smirk on the demonic fox's face.

* * *

Konohamaru sighed with relief as he saw Naruto stroll in with Hinata right after him. He resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at the fox, who was currently in Hanabi's older sister's arms. He felt Hanabi relax next to him as she caught sight of her sister. He smirked at Naruto.

"About time you showed up." Naruto's red eyes dialed in on him. "You just left. I thought you were going to stay and report in what happened today."

"Well, excuse me if I want to get something to eat." Was all he got in reply as he sat down in one of the two empty chairs. Hinata settled in the second and was about to put the small fox on the floor when it whined softly. One side of Naruto's lips twitched as it was registered in their hearing. Hinata then settled it back in her lap, trying to make it comfortable.

"I thought you already ate today?"

"I did. But, ya' know, fighting an giant, fat, unknown beast really makes me hungry. You know how that feels."

Hanabi snorted. "Suck it up."

"Unknown beast?" Hinata asked with concern before Naruto could think of a witty comeback.

"Yeah, it attacked me. Then Konohamaru and Hanabi showed up to help." Naruto said helpfully. The is caused both the Third's and Hinata's mouth go down in a frown.

"We were just about to tell him about that." Konohamaru said while he stretched his arms above him.

"Well, then. Get on with it." Naruto said impatiently as he slumped into his seat.

"Fine." Hanabi said with a little attitude. She then started to describe the monster itself and what they had did to stop it. How she and himself had lured it under a large tree where Naruto was perched and how at the right moment Naruto had launched himself onto the beast. She described how the blow had enough power to make the beast itself go into the earth. How it had caused a cave-in on itself by trying to break free. Once in a while Naruto or him would tell some other information with a little more detail or they would correct her on something or make something more clearer. Once she was done she took a deep breather. She had been speaking pretty fast to get it all in.

"Wow. That was pretty fast." Naruto said as she finished. "Do you practice talking so fast or so much?"

Hanabi looked insulted. She huffed out, "No!"

Hinata grinned at her sister with good nature. Konohamaru let a chuckle escape him and didn't even notice the glares she was pointing at him. He heard the Third join in and couldn't stop the little tug at his stomach as he heard the sound. He hadn't heard his grandfather laugh in some years. It hurt listening to it now, he knew that they would leave and he would never hear it again. So to protect himself from an emotional damage, he closed off all emotion.

No one noticed as Hinata asked the main question. "Who sent the monster after you?" She was looking at Naruto with worry clear in her eyes. "Who made it?"

His brother shrugged and leaned back in his chair, spreading his legs out in front of him. "I honestly don't know exactly. But I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Akatsuki."

The Third nodded and dug his chin into his chest, thinking. Konohamaru had seen that position many times as a child. He knew that he did that sometimes when he was thinking. For the past years he had been trying to stop doing it, to clear all connections; but to no avail.

"If indeed Akatsuki was involved then we can guarantee that Oorochimaru is part of it." They had told him about Akatsuki earlier on and he took it calmly. They had left out the information that Oorochimaru had actually made the organization. He was pretty quick in the mind to make the connection. "I only know of one person to have created something so terrible and that is him."

"That's what I thought too, but in this time Oorochimaru hasn't even heard of seal or the Kyuubi." Naruto mentioned. They had also told his grandfather about the Kyuubi in Naruto, although they didn't tell who had sealed it in him. It was Naruto's secret to share. "The seal itself hasn't been created. Well, I think it's being created right now."

"Then if he doesn't know of the seal there is a possibility that these Akatsuki people are influencing him. They could also influence him to create the group in the first place."

"That makes no sense." Hanabi blurted out. Her lavender Hyuga eyes looked confused. "If Akatsuki are the ones to give Oorochimaru the idea to make the organization then who gave them the idea?"

"Oorochimaru." Konohamaru said just to mess with her. She looked over and frowned, her bottom lip going out in a cute pout.

"But… That makes no sense." He turned his head so she wouldn't see his half smile.

"Okay, Oorochimaru might behind the monster, but that doesn't solve the problem." Naruto reminded them.

"Akatsuki." Hinata said quietly as the now small fox growled lightly. Konohamaru frowned. Why hadn't she talked out yet.

"Yes, whatever are we going to do with these fiends." His grandfather brought his index finger and lightly tapped his cheek. He himself slumped his head down, obscuring half of his face in his scarf. His eyes looked straight down at the carpet. He could feel the wind as Hanabi looked toward him and then at the Third and then at him again He sighed inaudibly, there was just to many similarities.

_Don't get off track… What can be done about the Akatsuki. They will be likely to strike first. To get us into action. If we attack back then we'll likely be doing what they want. Hmm…_

He was about to open his mouth to suggest an option when he was beat to it by the Third. The old man had straightened from his thinking position and was staring straight at him. His eyes were touched with something that looked like triumph and curiosity. The teen looked up at him with emotionless, bored, black eyes. He didn't straighten up like he had, but stayed in his flaccid arrangement.

"What if we give them what they want?"

"Excuse me?" Naruto said about to get up out of his chair. Hinata settled a hand on his shoulder and brought him down, she had he pale gaze trained on the Third.

"Let h-him speak…P-Please." He soft voice soothed the blonde. He saw Hanabi raise an eyebrow as she heard the stuttering. She seemed slightly amused, her raised eyebrow twitching to go higher.

"What if when they come-and they will definitely come-we let them come and get what they want."

"Are you saying that you want to give me to them as a present or something?"

"Oh no! No, no! I was thinking that we let them believe that we have given you up but then follow them to their hideout. You don't even have to be the one we given them."

"I don't… understand." Hanabi had leaned in and brought her hands to support her head. "Not give them Naruto? Who else could we possibly give them?"

"Well, we could give him the fox here." His grandfather pointed to the fox who's ears twitched in alertness to where the conversation was going.

"Why the fox?" Naruto questioned stiffly.

The Third looked at Naruto with obvious eyes. "I may be old, but I'm no fool. I know that this fox is indeed the Kyuubi no Kitsune."

Hinata gather her breath and looked down at the fox in her lap. The Kyuubi had no eyes for anyone except the old man sitting across from him.

"I don't thi-" He saw Naruto begin to speak but was cut off by a deep, rough voice.

"**It's alright Naruto. Let it go. It seems my acting skills aren't as good as I thought."** His ears twitched and angled themselves toward the door. **"Your smarter than you give yourself credit for old man. If only I had succeeded in destroying this pitiful village when I had the chance."**

"Kyuu-" Naruto began again but was cut off once more by the demon.

"**Shut up Kit. That's enough, we obviously can't hid this anymore. I'm curious though: How do you know of me? I haven't appeared in this stupid nation yet."**

"You may not have arrived in one of the five villages, but you have been said to be roaming around other parts of the world. There are also many legends with you in them and they describe you quite accurate." The Third chuckled lightly at his next statement. "You don't look like teller than twenty houses stacked up on each other."

"**Not in this form I don't. Don't let it fool you though, I could easily kill you right now."**

"Kyuubi, di-"

"**No, Naruto. We are doing this my way." **He paused to see if the blonde had anymore to say. He didn't. **"Yes, I am the Kyuubi no Kitsune, Lord of Chaos. I have many more titles, but the list would be endless. Although I would love to have nothing more but to kill you, explain to me your plan."**

Even though Konohamaru heard him talk before, it was just disturbing to see the words fly out of the fox's lips. His muzzle easily went in the right formation to let these words and sentences flow out.

The Third seemed speechless too. He stared at the Kyuubi with wide eyes, but the usual fear was replaced by curiosity. The Kyuubi stared back with unblinking, blood red eyes. Then he cleared his throat and continued on.

"I was thinking that you would go in Naruto's place and we would follow you with a force of our own." He paused. "If you would do it."

"**Not to burst your bubble MeatBag, but I don't look much like that idiot over there." **He swung his head in Naruto's direction. **"Plus, how do you know I won't be killed or induced when the take me away" **"I know you have the power to do anything you please. I know that you have the chakra to do anything you desire. I'm pretty sure your capable to do a henge jutsu on yourself to make you look like Naruto." He smiled with ironic humor. Konohamaru didn't see ant humor in this conversation. "Haven't you already died before? Induced? You have your own priorities to think about than Akatsuki's rambling. Also, are you still not connected to your host here?"

"**Well played my wrinkly friend." **His tailed swished unhappily. He turned to look up at Hinata. **"Can you scratch behind my ears? If felt really nice when you did it before."**

Hinata's open mouth couldn't have gone any lower, but she popped it back as a second passed. She gave a hesitant smile and reached over to scratch the area he had pointed out. Not soon after that the demon began to growl with delight under her hand.

"Demon or not. You still have the best fur. And you are so sweet." She then began scratching with both hands making the Kyuubi to growl in overdrive. It sounded like a rough engine.

"**See Naruto. She thinks I'm nice. Everything worked out nicely as well. Your to paranoid. Oh, Oldy Moldy I guess I could fill in for Naruto and help out. But on one condition. You let me kill someone soon."**

'Oldy Moldy' looked a little surprised at his offer. "Kill someone?"

"**Yeah, you now, someone alive. I haven't killed someone in a while now. The fucker that is my supposed master doesn't let me kill to often. Only in battle, how cruel is that. That's the only way I'm going help you. And don't go asking Naruto to make me, he doesn't have that much control over me."**

The whole time he was talking he had his eyes cross-eyed with pleasure. When the Third looked at Naruto for an explanation he just shrugged.

"He may look innocent, but he really has a thing for making people's lives miserable. And killing them is in his eyes the ultimate misery. He's weird so don't ask me."

Konohamaru's grandfather sighed in defeat. "Does it matter who this person is?"

"**No, not really. He has to be alive when I get him and his has to be awake too. I like to see the look in their eyes when they're about to die. It's funny." **He laughed harshly and Hinata momentarily stopped her stroking. But when his tailed swished she started again. **"Other than that it can be anyone you like. It can be an ally or an enemy. It could be a citizen or even a child for all I care. But I doubt you'll give me a child; so you'll likely give me a prisoner or criminal."**

"Well… This has just been a charming day. Let us end it with this cheerful conversation." Hanabi clapped her hands together. "Where can I stay while I'm here. It better not be _anywhere_ near where that little freak it staying."

The said freak was getting up from his position on Hinata's lap. He jumped all the way to Naruto's shoulder. He looked down at Hinata. **I'll be back tomorrow for some more petting. You are quite soothing. Don't worry I won't kill you, you are way to good at finding the good places to scratch." **The fox, although sounding harsh, truly meant what he said.

"Uhhh… T-Thanks." Hinata stammered at the 'compliment'.

"Naruto would you be fine with Konohamaru here staying with you?" Konohamaru had forgotten how nice it was to hear him say his name.

"Of course not." Naruto grinned. "But he has to remember that Kyube will be sharing it with us too."

"Forget that, how could I? He is such a charming fellow." He said sarcastically.

"Then Hanabi and Hinata may share a place of their own. Both of are a block away from here. If anything happens you can just come here and we shall deal with it." He nodded as everything was settled. "Is there anything else that needs to be discussed?"

"Yes, what about when your aren't Hokage anymore?"

It was quiet in the room as the question was said out loud. Naruto was standing now along with Konohamaru and the Third. Hanabi and Hinata were still sitting down, content with watching, looking up as the men discussed. The Kyuubi's ears flicked once more towards the direction of the door, making Naruto's and his eyes flicker there. The Third didn't even notice.

"We will have to tell him. We will have no choice. I know you wanted to keep as limited people in this as possible, but that's not going to be possible. Minato will have to know sooner or later, whether you like it or not" He explained as the blonde shuffled his feet.

"I don't think that's the wisest idea." Konohamaru had finally spoken up and the Third's gaze fell on him. He ducked his head in his scarf to think, flicking some strands of hair out of his face. _He can't know_. Konohamaru thought hastily. _It would be a disaster if he did._

"And why not?" Naruto warily glanced at the Konohamaru who glanced back. They both gave each other a knowing look that plainly said that they knew what would happen if they let the soon-to-be Hokage in on it. It was quite obvious. This look didn't go unnoticed by the current Hokage. "Is there something you four aren't telling me?"

Hanabi shifted uncomfortably in her chair. "Well…"

"Yes. There is something we aren't telling you." Hinata had spoken out with stubborn set of her jaw. "We haven't told you because it isn't our secret to tell."

"Then whose secret is it?"

"It's mine." Naruto spoke softly and the old man's eyes darted to his face. He couldn't see it properly as the Naruto was looking down and his hair covered his eyes. The Kyuubi on his shoulder grinned at no apparent reason. "They're just being good friends in not telling you."

"May I come in on the secret or is it to much for me?"

"You can be in on it if you wish to. You'll understand why this is a real problem once you know it." Naruto finally looked up and regarded the old man with bright ocean blue eyes. They twinkled in the sunlight reflecting off them. He wiped his face with one smooth motion and once it was clear three rather rough lines on either side of his cheek was to bee seen. He ran his other hand through his hair and when he took it out they were stained with red. The red tips of color on his hair had been wiped off easily. What was left was an exact replica of Minato Namikaze. The only difference were marks on the cheeks and the outfit.

The Third Hokage grabbed the back of his chair for support. He looked at Naruto surprise evident on his face. "By Kami."

"Yeah. I know, it surprises everyone who figures it out. You understand now why we can't go on with that plan. This is why the question I asked earlier is a problem." He grinned slightly, showing his white teeth. The surprising part were that his canines were longer than average, similar to the ones found in an animals' mouth. His grin was matched by the fox on his shoulder, who had more markings than it did not only a few seconds before. They looked so oddly familiar that it was quite frightening to Konohamaru.

"I understand your reluctance. So the one who sealed him in you was…" He said breathlessly. He looked at Naruto with wide, kind eyes. 'I'm so sorry."

"So am I. But it's nothing to worry about." Naruto rotated his shoulder making the Kyuubi growl and jump on top of his head. Once he was done warming up his shoulders the fox still wouldn't come down from his head. "You understand the situation then."

Hinata stood up, followed by Hanabi. Both smiled at Naruto,inata said, "It's nice to see the real you Naruto." She hugged him lightly, as did Hanabi.

Konohamaru nodded and walked over to clap him on the back. "Yeah, it is good. But you really need to stand up to this. It's going to blow up in your face sooner or later."

Naruto looked at him evenly. "I'll stand up to this when you stand up to yours." Konohamaru allowed himself one twitch on the finger, but it didn't escape the blonde's sharp vision. Before he could say more Konohamaru saw the Kyuubi's ear twitch toward the door for the millionth time that day.

"Seems like we have company."

"**Hmmm… Really? I haven't noticed." **He chuckled to himself. **"You guys are going to get a kick out of who it is."**

Without a word to anyone Hanabi walked over to the door determinedly and pulled it open wide. There standing in the doorway just outside the room was Kakashi Hatake.

Naruto cursed and tried to hide his appearance from the genin but it was all in vain. The silver haired boy's eyes widened as he saw Naruto. "Minato-sensei?"

Konohamaru shoved his hands in his pockets and strolled toward Hanabi. "Nice going Hanabi. You just blew his cover. Did you really have to open the door."

"We had to find out who was out there!" She said defensively.

"Okay, but you could have given us a little warning so we could get things in order." He told her with a bored expression. She looked behind her with her mouth in a small 'o'. He sighed. "Well, come on in Kakashi."

Hesitantly the genin stepped into the room, but he kept his eyes on Naruto. Hanabi closed the door behind him loudly and he looked back to see her standing there with her hands on her hips. After a moment his eyes found Naruto again.

"Minato-sensei?" He said timidly. He shook his head and stared at Naruto stridently. "I just saw him and you aren't him… Are you?"

"It's rude to stare." Naruto told him as the fox on his head chuckled. Kakashi's eyes darted toward the Kyuubi and back at Naruto's face.

"Naruto?"

"The one and only." He said with a smirk. The boy blinked his surprise. Naruto walked to him and crouched down in front of him. "You look surprised. Is something the matter?"

"Something the matter? You look just like Minato-sensei! That's the matter!" He cried out and suspicion came to his eyes. "Are you an imposter? Trying to get the title of Hokage?"

Konohamaru let out a snort of amusement at the irony of the statement. Naruto turned his attention to him. "What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing… It's just that I thought of your one and only dream as a kid." He snorted again and as the two Hyuga's got the message they started giggling.

"Yeah, yeah. Very funny. It's ironic I know. Laugh it out." Naruto said with some annoyance. Hokage had been the blonde's dream but sadly that wasn't what fate had in mind. He sighed. "No I'm not an imposter trying to take over Minato's life."

"Then who are you?" Kakashi asked the one question that always seemed to be difficult for Naruto to answer.

"I'm Naruto." He said finally. "My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I am a proud ninja of the Village of the Leaf. I am also the holder of a demon. Kyuubi no Kitsune. You two have already met."

The Kyuubi grinned evilly at the boy. Kakashi then looked toward his Hokage. The old man nodded.

"Then that means…" He didn't seem to be able to say it.

"Yes, I am the future of Konoha."

"And that also means…"

"Yeah, yeah. I am the son of Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki." Naruto told the shocked boy. It seemed to Konohamaru that the cover was already blown, so why not blow it all up. It was all pointless by this point. Naruto then turned to the rest of the group. "Is it just me or is everyone getting on my secrets now?"

Konohamaru, at ease with the atmosphere, laughed. "Yeah, welcome to life bro."

Kakashi's eyes unfocused for a moment before he got a hold of himself and took a deep breathe. He closed his eyes and opened them to stare into Naruto's bright blue eyes, eyes that were so much like his sensei's.

"Okay."

"Okay?" Naruto asked.

"Okay." Kakashi said again.

"Okay with what?" Naruto asked again.

"Okay with everything." Kakashi responded back evenly. His eyes reflected the calm peace he had. No wonder he was a legend in the future, he was pretty cool in the past. Konohamaru had to admit that he took in things pretty well. "It's a lot to take it."

"Well, duh." Hanabi muttered. "It's what we have been dealing with since we got here. How do you think we feel?"

The Kyuubi snickered evilly. **"I've been dealing with this shit all my life. You get used to it after a while."**

Hanabi looked at Kakashi. "You got the whole thing right? We don't have to repeat anything? Nothing?" The boy nodded feebly. "Good. This makes things so much easier."

Kakashi stared at the Kyuubi for a moment then, "I knew there was something strange about you. No normal fox's could be as nasty as you are. You are just plain evil."

Naruto chuckled. " Yeah, he can be an ass. Don't worry he won't kill you."

The Kyuubi eyed him. **"Not yet I won't. We'll see soon enough. I may not have attacked yet but there is always a chance that someone might die of an 'accident.'"** He made his threat know to everyone. And it was. All except to Naruto.

"I don't know about that. There might be an accident soon where a fox gets in the way of a kunai." The blonde shrugged. "Anything could happen."

Both he blonde and the fox looked at each other seriously. Then Naruto smiled. "I know exactly how to kill you. Why don't we go get some ramen!" With out a second to lose the whiskered boy grabbed the fox on his head, ignoring the death threats coming from his way, and raced to the window. He sped past everyone, all of which had sweat dropped. He was about to jumped out to the ground below when the Third quickly reminded him.

"Don't forget to change your look! Don't let anyone see you!"

"Okay! Next time you see us hopefully this little ass will be dead! Bye!" Then he was gone. Konohamaru heard the sound of leaves rustling and a small _thud_. Then he hear a familiar sneaky laugh followed by a loud snarl.

"You gotta love him for that." Konohamaru said grinning. "He can threaten the most powerful demon and get away with it."

"He is strange." The Third was still looking at the window. "He sure does have a lot of energy."

Kakashi had the sense of déjà vu. "He must get his personality form Kushina. I don't know anyone else like them."

Everyone had to nod at that. It was true. No one could say that they knew someone else like them. They were irreplaceable.

The Third sighed and closed the windows, cutting off the air drafts. "Would you go after him and make sure that he doesn't get into any trouble? Now that I know more about his back-story I'm slightly concerned for the well being of others."

They all nodded eagerly. All except Konohamaru, who was pondering over something that he'd been trying to understand. No matter what he thought of it wouldn't work.

_Why…?_ He thought.

"I have a question." He said and everyone turned to him with curious eyes, all focused on what he had to say.

"And what would that be?" The old Hokage asked. He seemed interested in what the scarf boy had to say.

"I was just wondering why Akatsuki would be here? I know that they're aiming for the tailed beasts, but why would they be here? They could just go out in their time and capture them, it would be much simpler. I just wanna know 'Why?'"

"I do believe there is answer for this," He looked out at the window again. He was most likely thinking about something or a particular someone. "but I don't think we'll get it right away. He'll tell us sooner or later. We just have to wait."

* * *

**Author's comments:**

**N: Booya! Another chapter! Hells yeah!**

**M: Yeah, what she said. Whoo! =P**

**N: Okay, here's the deal: We don't like typing on our computer so we type on a laptop-**

**M: Which sucks at getting internet.**

**N: Yeah, so we type it on the laptop anyway, cause we like to. We typed in chapters 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13, but since it sucks at getting internet-**

**M: We're screwed, plainly said. DX**

**N: Yep. But then M thought of a great idea-**

**M: Flash drives! :D**

**N: Yeah, so anyway we're gonna download all the chapters onto a flash drive for now on. We used to hook up Gary's internet wire to Shelah-**

**M: Gary's the desktop computer and Shelah's our laptop.**

**N: That's right we name unanimated objects. Deal with it.**

**M: Now that is why-**

**N: We have uploaded all these chapters now.**

**M: Look how much we care for our readers. Peace!(;**


	14. Chapter 14

_Okay, here's chapter 14. _

_We don't own Naruto and blah blah. Or any of its characters. Yadda Yadda. It all belongs to Kishimoto and we are just humble readers… ya get the point. _

* * *

Crispy brown leaves drifted in the air around the entire village. It tousled Hanabi's dark brown into her face. Her eyes narrowed somewhat as she pushed it back. She flicked the long strand of hair usual in her face to put it behind her ear, but a movement of her head a second later put it back in its place. On either side of her was her sister, Hinata, and the guy who got her into this crazy mess in the first place, Konohamaru.

She looked up at the dull sky above her head. A few lazy clouds hovered in different directions. It looked like it was going to rain, but she knew it wasn't going to; there needed to be more darker grey clouds for rain.

There were little bits of gold ribbons on some of the buildings; leftovers from the ceremony of the new Hokage. It had been another month since the day they had found Kakashi outside the door when they were speaking about the problems that had followed them from the past.

The ceremony had been both happy and sad to the village. Sad, as for the Third Hokage was out of office and he was a greatly known and loved Hokage. Happy, as for the also greatly loved and powerful Minato Namikaze was to be their new Hokage. It was a formal one and after the oaths had been made and the robes been passed on there had been an fantastic festival.

However, as some people celebrated the new beginning of the village others didn't. Naruto for one didn't even attend the ceremony. He told everyone that he had to check on his 'lost' fox; the same 'lost' fox that was found at the festival enjoying some meat he had stolen. The two Hyuga's and Konohamaru had stayed to watch the ceremony and saw the worry in the Old Man's eyes as he gave the newly appointed Hokage hat to the blonde. He hid it from the crowd and everyone very well, but the three saw it none the less. It was a happy day for the present village, but a worrisome one for the future ninjas.

Kushina could be seen on the side watching her husband with a merry smile placed on her delicate face. Her hands were touching her even bigger stomach. Minato's team were with her too, smiling and giving the thumbs up at their sensei. Although Kakashi glanced at the trio from the future once and the Third he still seemed pretty happy for his sensei. He even brought his hands around his two teammates. Which surprised them according to their facial expression. He just smiled at them, making both his eyes into upside down U's.

Now they were walking down the same street the ceremony had been taken place and looking for a particular figure and his annoying red fox.

"Where could he be?" Hanabi asked impatiently for the millionth time that day. "Didn't we just see him?"

"Well, he is Naruto. If he doesn't want to be found he won't be found." Hinata murmured quietly at her side. "He'll pop up sooner or later."

No stuttering. _Must be only when the blonde idiot is around. _She shows the most obvious signs of liking him. And of course the person she likes is the most oblivious knucklehead in the world. The quietest person has a crush on the loudest. And indeed that was the case. The younger Hyuga snorted quietly at the irony. _Figures._

"Yeah well, he better show up soon. I am not waiting much longer, I'm getting hungry." To prove her point her tummy growled its needs. She frowned and patted it soothingly. "Poor tummy. You shall be fed soon."

Now it was Konohamaru's turn to snort. "You talk to you stomach? How weird."

"Well excuse me if I'm hungry!" She said defensively. She knew that it was weird, but she was hungry! Hinata leaned forward to look over Hanabi at Konohamaru and smiled.

"I bet your hungry for some ramen right now. I know you have the same appetite for it as Naruto."

"Guilty." He said grinning. He looked forward to see if he could spot the red banner. "Maybe he's already there. I wouldn't put it past him to stuff himself and lay the bill on us."

"Like hell he will! No way I'm paying for what that man eats!" Hanabi determinedly sped up her pace, the other two following silently. "It's a wonder he can still stand once he's done."

Hinata laughed at her statements. "I feel so bad for Tsunade-same and Iruka-sensei. They have been paying for Naruto for years."

"It's a wonder their not bankrupt. Well, The Old Hag anyway." Konohamaru commented quietly. Hanabi looked at him sharply as he let the name slip out. "What?"

"You should be more respectful to Tsunade-same. One day this will come back and kick you in the ass." She said, her hand going up in exasperated motion. "Just watch."

"I can handle it if it comes along." The teen said, obviously trying to be macho. "This is getting to long of a conversation. I'm getting hungry."

"Come on then." Hinata went in between of the two teens and looped her arms in theirs. She had spotted the red banner and a head sporting blonde hair. Hanabi saw the blonde head, but no snarling red fox. "We're here. Let's eat."

As they came into the shop they were greeted by Teuchi. They sat themselves down and Hanabi saw that it wasn't Naruto, but the newly appointed Fourth Hokage. Minato Namikaze. Naruto's father. He looked up at them as they came in and greeted them with a big grin.

"Hello! Haven't seen you three in a while." It was a fact. The three had been keeping to Naruto and Naruto was obviously dodging accounts with his father.

"Oh, hi." Hinata, the ever so polite one, smiled back. Even though the smile didn't reach her eyes. "May we join you."

"Sure, sure!" He spread his arm to motion for them to sit. Teuchi had just set a bowl of ramen in front of him and he looked at it hungrily. Pork ramen. Naruto's favorite. "So, what have you three been up to?"

Hinata pulled some of her dark, long hair behind her ear as she answered. "Oh, nothing really. We've just been settling in the village. Actually, we've just been acting pretty lazy. Just hanging around town."

"Wish I could do the same." He said a sigh. "Been up to my neck with paperwork. I don't know how the past Hokage's dealt with it."

"You could always set it on fire." Konohamaru mentioned helpfully, probably remembering the time when he and Naruto did that to Tsunade's own paperwork. He smiled mischievously, totally remembering. "It would put it out of the way."

Minato laughed at that. "I don't think that's the best idea. That would just cause more paperwork to come in. This time about the burnt paperwork. Thanks anyway."

"That's why you would burn that paperwork too, duh." He muttered under his breathe so only Hanabi heard. She giggled.

"Tsunade-sama must have been so angry." She asked under her breathe. Hinata was talking to Minato about ramen so their whispering went without notice. "What did she do?"

He reached over her to grab a napkin slowly and said. "Well, she was pissed at first but then got the brilliant idea of shoving the paper in one the council member's living quarters. Problem solved easily." His face was easily inches from her for a moment when he snickered and returned to his seat as he got hold of the napkin.

"Problem solved?" She asked unconvinced, she turned her head slightly to look at Hinata and the Fourth hoping there was no blush on her face.

"Well it didn't come back. The Old Hag never saw them again so yeah, problem solved." He looked up as Teuchi came to take their order. He smiled and ordered Chicken ramen, he looked at her expectantly. She ordered the same thing. "She should be grateful that Naruto and me were there to help her. We handled it pretty well, if I say so myself."

"Yeah, I bet she's proud."

"Damn straight she is." The boy next to her said proudly. Hanabi laughed, enabling herself to contain it any longer. The festival had finally gotten to her, the happiness was pervading throughout the village. Now with the fact that Konohamaru's jokes kept on coming, one after another, and the fact that they were now funnier in her eyes, he himself was starting to be a comforting presence, or at least get on her good side.

The rest of the meal went without a problem. The worries about the current situation and the disasters that had yet to come were pushed away in the back of the mind, the people only focusing on the celebration. There was more laughter and jokes to be shared, and many food and drinks to be pass around. It was a beautiful festival. And it lasted for most of the day

Later on, when it was near around midnight, Hanabi started to feel the cheery mood vanish. She didn't want it to, but it did eventually. Soon enough her worries were the focus of her thoughts, and so was a certain ninja. As it grew she started to put up a fake smile to pass with. No longer feeling the jovial mood she retired to a silent part of the village, not being occupied by the festivities. She needed to think.

The Hyuga was just sitting on a bench admiring the size of the moon when she felt a chakra presence close, real close. A couple feet away close. She immediately relaxed knowing who it was.

"So… " Konohamaru said, stuffing his hands into his pockets, casually striding toward her. "Watcha doin'?"

Hanabi didn't look at him, instead keeping her eyes on the moon. "Nothing really, just thinking."

Konohamaru took the seat next to her, not even an inch or two away. She rightly ignored him, still looking at the moon, obviously intrigued about something. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw him glance at her and then follow her gaze to the bright orb in the clear night sky.

"May I know what's it's about?" He asked, sounding almost interested.

Hanabi shrugged. "I'm thinking about a lot of things. About Akatsuki, about the Fourth, the Kyuubi, how we'll get out of this time period, and what will happen when this is all over."

_About you…_

Konohamaru whistled softly. "That's quite the load don't you think? Earlier you looked carefree. Now… You looked stressed."

Shrugging once more she continued to gaze at the moon, trying to figure out it's beauty. "I tried to forget it all, but sadly, it didn't work out. I've decided I wanna see things through. Get a handle on my thoughts."

She felt his eyes focus on her, as if trying to figure _her_ out. In the end he must've found nothing because he sighed. "Its got to be hard, if impossible, to forget everything. You just gotta walk along your trail and overcome the road bumps. You'll understand it all in the end, you just have to be patient."

Hanabi took to account what he said, thinking about it thoroughly. She would have to give it much thought, as well with everything else. She tried to find the right words to thank him with but she couldn't. Instead she plainly said. "Thanks."

"No problem."

They both jumped a foot or two when they heard a gagging noise. Turning to what was behind them they saw a red shape walking their way.

"**This is why I hate humans they can be so mushy! Ugh!"** The Kyuubi complained with distaste. He trotted toward them with a bounce to every step. From one quick glance Hanabi saw that his stomach was bulging from the amount of food he had probably eaten. He seemed to literally glowed in triumph so that was probably the answer to his light mood, if this was what you called light.

_Weirdass talking fox._ It wasn't that she was afraid of the demon, which she should be, but that his whole being freaked her out. She'd seen regular foxes, the ones that had the small dainty body structure and fluffy little coats that were the color of autumn. It just didn't seem right when those little foxes talked about killing villages. Summons. Now they were just fine, those animals were there to help you in need. But the talking fox was there to kill you in your sleep. It was unnatural on her account.

Konohamaru didn't look disturbed a bit by the demons presence, he never was. "Having a good time?" He asked in a bored tome, knowing full well that the fox would bitch if you didn't ask him sooner or later.

The Kyuubi laughed lightly, it's sound sending chills down Hanabi's spine. **"Why yes, actually I am. All the stupid humans here are so wasted that they can't even keep track of their food. Not only that but they frighten even easier. I even made one pee itself! The smell of fear is wafting through the air!"**

Konohamaru frowned, small creases appearing between his eyebrows as they pushed together. "You didn't kill anyone did you? You sound to happy for your own good."

Hanabi paled at the thought of finding a body the next day. One of an average citizen that had a future waiting for him or her. Or maybe that of a child.

"**I wish. The Kit would give me hell later if I killed someone. He would bitch until he could bitch no more if I killed someone. I wish there was a battle or something coming. Or better yet, a fucking war. Yeah, that would be nice." **He seemed to be lost in some disturbing, kill loving, nice memory of his. He laughed as a particular memory came to him. **"The best kind of war is one with treachery."**

"Umm… Okay?" Hanabi didn't really get where this conversation was going. She shivered as she noticed the demon's sharp teeth coming from his jaws, sparkling a luminous ivory in the moonlight.

Konohamaru asked what she was about to say. "Why are you exactly here?" He didn't say it rudely but not politely either.

The Kyuubi cocked his head like he was considering whether or not to kill the boy because of his disrespect. **"Respect your demonic elders, boy. Your disregards for respect will lead you in deep shit when you get older. Trust me."**

Konohamaru waved it off. Hanabi wasn't sure he really paid attention to what the demon had said, or rather cared what he said. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I just wanna know why you decided to enlighten us with your presence."

"**You're really are the MeatBag's younger copy, Junior MeatBag."** The Kyuubi's blood red eyes were focused on Konohamaru's black one's. They seemed to have a staring battle going on. Neither looked away for about a full minute, neither of them blinking. Finally, to Hanabi's surprise, the Kyuubi looked away first with a sigh. **"There's too much of the Kit in you to pound down, huh? Crap. That means you'll make things more complicated for me and everyone else."**

"Yep."

"**Very well then, if you must know I was just out looking for the blonde idiot. I had found him when I saw you two, so I thought I would see how your pathetic lives were going. Turns out they're pretty okay, which is quite a bummer becau-**

"You know where Naruto is?" Hanabi said instantly, cutting the demon lord short. "Where?"

The Kyuubi snarled, not liking to be interrupted. **"Yes, but as I said befo-"**

"Frankly I don't give a damn about what you're going to say or what you said before-I wasn't listening in the first place anyway. All I really want to know is where Naruto's been, or rather how he's been." Hanabi cut him off again, not bothering to let him finish one sentence. She was going to get her answer.

"**You are about the rudest girl I've ever met."**

'Whatever. Tell us where Naruto is!" Hanabi practically yelled at the fox. She didn't like the fox in the first place but now he was just getting annoying, and she wanted her answer.

"**No."**

"No? Why?!"

"**Because you're yelling at me!"**

"That's bull-"

"It's okay Hanabi." Konohamaru said, laying a hand on her shoulder. She held back a blush. "If he won't tell us, he won't tell us. We'll find out sooner or later. Whatever Naruto's been doing _he'll_ tell us." He looked at the fox. "Right?" It was more of a statement than a question to Hanabi herself.

"**He's to trusting of you all **_**not**_** to tell you. He'll tell you everything when it's the right time for you to know."**

"Okay then. Lets go Hanabi. We'll talk on the way to your apartment." Konohamaru grabbed her elbow and directed her in the direction of her current home. Ignoring her 'but's and 'and's he led her away, but turned to look at the Kyuubi one last time. "You better be right about his trust. We might be his 'important' people but that doesn't make us his 'trusted' people." Then he turned around walked away, half dragging Hanabi with him.

Hanabi didn't know what the hell had happen between them but she didn't know something. Konohamaru himself had said that Naruto may not trust them, the people who cared most about him. It saddened her heart to think of that.

_Why wouldn't he trust us?_ She asked herself, for once unable to come up with an answer.

* * *

Naruto breathed in the air around him that was filled with the scents of the forest in it. He vaguely tasted the flavor of new unearthed soil and pine. It left a strange after taste on his tongue.

The night brought a cool breeze that stung his face, but oddly made him relax. It almost felt like it was cleansing his soul, washing all his problems away. He almost felt free.

Almost.

Sighing Naruto released his jutsu, and removed the red markings on his hair. He wanted to be himself for a little while at least. He wanted to be Naruto Uzumaki, the Number One Knuckle-Headed Ninja of Konoha, and the most hyperactive and easily excited ninja that everyone knew. He wanted to be him.

He leaned against the trunk of the tree he was perched on. It was the same huge tree he had found when he'd first woken up in the past. The thick branches twisting all around it and the roots weaving through the ground. The size of it was comforting. Something this big would be hard to knock down. It made him feel safe in an odd way.

He stared at the moon(the same one Hanabi was staring at) and felt a presence near him. He didn't move any part of his body as the branch he was settled on creaked as a new weight came on it. His eyes didn't leave the moon as the presence came right to his side and sat down heavily. He could feel the presence watching him and heard a low sigh escape it.

"**Kit. What are you doing here?" **The demon turned to stare at the moon.

"Thinking. How about you?" The blonde murmured absently.

"**I was going to go torment a kid or something, but that seemed to dull." **The fox brought his upper body lower and settled in laying down beside Naruto. **"Ya know, you can't hide from fucking everyone forever."**

"I'm not hiding from everyone." He said defensively. "I just need some time to think."

"**You may not be hiding from everyone, but you get my point. There is one person that you won't even go near anymore."** It was obvious who he was talking about. **"What's going on inside your head, Kit?"**

"I don't know."

"**Hmm… I know that you have been shielding yourself from emotions and memories that hurt, but it looks like they have come back to bite you in the ass."**

"…" The young man kept staring at the moon, with a frown edged deep into his face.

"**Maybe it's that you kept these things in all this time and now that it's out you don't know out to deal with it." **He chuckled trying to lighten the mood. **"Fuck. Look at me. I sound like a MeatBag. Ugh… Your getting to me boy. I'm losing my touch."**

"I don't want to hate him." Naruto blurted out, still not looking at the fox. "I don't know what to feel."

"**I know Kit. I know. It doesn't help that my hatred it seeping into you. But what can you do?" **He laid his head on his paws and gazed at Naruto with large red eyes. **"Have you fucking tried to start over?"**

Finally Naruto did look at Kyuubi. His head was tilted down a bit since the height difference. His frown had increased making him look older. "Start over?"

"**For someone who always brag to people about his loving family and how they can have their own if they started over you are quite foolish. But we can't do anything about you stupidity."**

"Huh…"

"**Start over. Forget everything about him you know and base everything on now. Didn't we already have this talk or something? Damn… I want to pummel you so bad right now. Can someone be this stupid?"**

"Umm… Yes?"

"**Don't be a smartass." **He nudged the boy's thigh with his muzzle and gave him a foxy grin. **"I know this doesn't sound like me, but you should really give him a chance. Everyone in fact."**

"Your right. It doesn't sound like you." The blonde poked Kyuubi in the butt and grinned like a fool. "What's with you? Do you have a kick in the hormones again?."

"**Hn… Maybe it's hanging out with you so much. Or maybe I'm a nice person deep down. I honestly don't give a shit. Once this is all over I'm going to make your life a living hell."**

"Haven't you already done that by just being alive and inside of me?" Naruto kept his poking until Kyuubi snapped at his finger.

"**Sometimes you are just so annoying. And there are more serious things I can do to make your life hell. Just you wait. You'll appreciate what I did in the past." **The demon fox picked himself up and scratched behind his ear. He then stretched and gave his paw a little lick, wiping his face with it. **"I could go for a nice stroke right about now. Not from you though, your to stupid to do it right."**

"To stupid to scratch you? That's stupid." Naruto said, his expression mock hurt. He put his right arm against his heart to make the look complete. "That hurts. Really it does."

"**Yeah, to stupid. I'm going to go find that one woman-Hinata was her name right? Yeah, she's really good at it. Plus, she smells like lilac."** Naruto looked at the fox, uncomprehending what he'd heard. Lilac? **"Shutup! I'll see you later... Maybe." **With that he jumped out of the tree. Naruto saw him land on all fours. He looked up again before he left. "**Oh yeah, the Junior MeatBag was looking for ya. He's probably asleep now though, so I wouldn't worry about it."**

"Really, how'd you know?"

"**I met up with him and that smaller Hyuga chick, you know the one who's all afraid of me. Well they were talking and shit and I forced myself into the conversation. Now looking back, I have the weirdest feeling of déjà vu. Wow, creepy."** Kyuubi yawned. **"I'm to tired to talk anymore so stop with the questions. Once I find that Hinata woman I'll make her scratch me till I'm snoring."** He walked away without another word, probably trying to be as insulting as he possibly could to the blonde.

_Sometimes you can be the biggest of shits, but other times…_ Naruto shook his head. He could never-would never-understand the demon. One minute he was talking about killing him and all his friend and the next he was trying to comfort him, then he was all threatening again. It was very confusing. The Kyuubi no Kitsune was a real masterpiece.

Naruto sighed._ Yep, a real masterpiece._ He folded his arms behind his head, hoping the night might clear his thoughts. It certainly seemed like that was what it was doing. His mind was already calming and his muscles relaxing.

Looking up and at the height of the moon Naruto guessed it to be past midnight. Everyone in the village would all be either knocked out from partying so hard or asleep. All his friends were probably tired and resting for the big day tomorrow.

The day they traded in Kyuubi instead of Naruto.

It would be a glorious day on Naruto's account. He would get to see Kyuubi being the one thing he hated the most: human. And he'd have to pose off being him to boot! Kyuubi would sure be in for hell because that's what Naruto planned on giving him. All the torment his whole life had caught up to this point to bite the fox in the ass. Naruto would treasure it always.

Naruto closed his eyes, not wanting to keep awake any longer. He would rest like the rest of his friends and hope for a better day. He was to tired and lazy to go back to the apartment he had been staying at. Knowing full well that it was dangerous to sleep out here in the forest alone with predators around he drifted off to sleep hoping his dreams would give him some slack from the day.

* * *

Kyuubi snarled in pain. He'd never felt it as excruciating like this. Never. Not in all his life. Even when he'd been sealed. No pain. But this was more than everything he'd felt all his life combined.

When he was strolling down the abandoned streets-except for the drunks that occupied the sides- on his way to see that Hinata girl when a sting of unimaginable agony was thrown into him. It wasn't from the outside that the pain was coming from, none of his physical body was being harmed, it was his whole being. It felt as if someone was grabbing his soul-if demons had souls- and was stabbing it continuously. He was just about to jump over a thrown over cart when it attacked him from the inside. The fox tumbled over to his side and curled up to try to stop the pain. His eyes unfocused as his vision got blurry and eventually closed tightly.

It felt like something was sucking in all his power away from him. All his stores of chakra was withering away somewhere, his tails seemed worthless.

He didn't know how long it had been going on but he supposed it was near hours. Time seemed to be a blur under all the pain. It was endless.

Suddenly he began to get hot. He felt his insides get hotter and hotter. He began burning from the inside out. It was like someone had set fire to his heart or maybe even lungs. The demon knew he was releasing energy all around him. He knew it because that was the only way he would feel all this heat and that was why it was leaving him. He'd been sealed so long that he wasn't as used to his chakra as he once was. It must be a shit load for him to feel this hot and empty. Enough to make the ninja close by pee in their pants.

Kyuubi was vaguely aware of something touching him, pressing against his spine. He was vaguely aware, not fully. The moment he comprehended that the pain raged another notch. He snarled, unable to contain himself, and ended in a hiss.

_**Why is this happening?**_ He couldn't find the answer, even with the hundreds of years of wisdom helping him. The answer wasn't that clear. And the pain didn't certainly help one bit.

With the slightest jolt he realized that if this was happening to him then it must be the same for the blonde. It this was his pain he couldn't imagine his host's. It was probably way worse than his right. For a moment he felt worry for the kid but then a wave a pain washed over him making him concerned for only his well being. He didn't know if he could die by this. It certainly seemed possible.

He didn't know how but his lid peeled back revealing his eye. A blinding light shined right at him, making him want to shy away. Sadly, the pain wouldn't allow his body an ounce of movement. For a strange second he thought he heard voices. They were deep and slow, but voices none the less. The sounds that they made pulled in and out of hearing.

Kyuubi started to feel his consciousness slipping. He could feel the dark closing in. He hated the dark. The depletion of chakra was wearing him out, even though he did nothing but let it free. He wondered who's voices he'd heard and if he knew them. Sniffing the fox tried to figure them out but he drifted away into unconsciousness before he could do anymore. For some reason he felt the weirdest sensation of flying. He smelled something. Something odd. Something that made his nose twitch.

Lilac.

That's it. That's what he smelled.

Lilac.

* * *

The blonde sat up straight, scared. He was gasping for breathe by the force he had just felt. It was like he couldn't get enough air into his lungs. Looking around he tried to find the source of his fright. There was nothing in the room around him.

Minato heard Kushina move as well, knowing she had felt it to. It was kind of hard not to with the energy it had complied with it. She looked scared out of her wits, with wide eyes and a pale face.

"W-What was that?" She gasped out, involuntary holding her stomach.

"I don't know." Minato lied. He knew exactly what is was, or should he say who it was. "But I'm going to find out soon enough." He fumbled with the bed sheets, got up, and rushing to put on his clothes. Taking off his shirt he found that it was sticking to him. He was drenched in sweat. Taking deep breaths he tried to calm himself. After a while he found himself in control.

"This isn't how Hokage's usually start their status." Kushina replied tartly, her composure regained. From a glance he could tell she was not pleased at whoever had radiated that chakra force and didn't seem to remember it. "I'm gonna kill who's doing this, strong or not." She looked serious, but Minato knew it was a facade. She was scared and she was trying to hide it by putting up a brave face. He didn't like her to be afraid. He didn't like her in danger, _period._

Minato went to her and brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face. "Don't worry it'll be fine. _I'll_ be fine." He said softly, trying to reassure her.

The red headed woman didn't seem at ease. The worry lines were evident on her pretty face. Her grey eyes screamed that she was bothered by his leaving but she didn't voice it out.

Kissing her lightly on the forehead he took her hand and squeezed it comfortingly. Then he got up and put on his newly gained robe. Tying his headband to his head he walked to the window. Looking back he gave her a good hearted smile. "Stay put and don't go anywhere. I'll be back." He jumped out the window before she could make out anymore protests.

Quick as a flash he made his way over the building and trees to get to the source. It was so late and no one was out and up. The village seemed empty.

Minato wasn't sure what he would find when he found him, but he didn't expect what he saw. What he didn't expect to see a certain blonde ninja, accompanied by another surprising face.

"Tsunade?! Shizune?! How did you-?"

"Not now Minato." The well know Sannin-specially to men- cut him off with a hand. Instead she pointed to what the two medics were focused on. Minato gaped at the tiny form of a fox. A small red fox.

"That's…" Minato didn't finish. In fact he didn't want to. He knew that the animal could produce large amounts of chakra, but the thought of it still seemed impossible. It should be impossible. But it wasn't.

_Kyube…?Why is he…?_

Tsunade turned her attention to it, a concerned look coming into her eyes. "We were passing by and we saw this little guy in pain. I couldn't pass him by. He isn't human but he isn't nothing either…" It was rare for the Sannin to show a lot of emotion, especially toward an animal, but Minato had to say she was right in being concerned. The usually mischievous fox looked horrible.

There was no wound whatsoever. None. All it's legs were attached and intact, and there was no blood shown on the fur or ground around. And yet, the fox looked like it was being tortured. It was curled up in a tight ball, looking smaller and more fragile than Minato had ever seen it. Every part of it was shaking and withering, having some sort of seizure. Not only that but heat waves were coming off of it's body like no tomorrow, as well as chakra. The energy seemed to go on forever, releasing itself into the air around. He was surprised he wasn't crushed by it's pressure.

"How long have you been here with it?" He asked, looking at the fox to the Sannin.

She shrugged. "About five minutes or so. We thought the pain might recede after a while but it seems to be greater by the minute." To emphasize her point the fox let out an agonizing snarl, ending in a sharp hiss.

"Poor little guy." Shizune looked down at the animal with pity, squeezing the pig in her hands a little to tightly. Minato knew that the apprentice would do anything to help the creature if she found the way. Shizune turned to her sensei. "Isn't there anything we can do?" The plea in her voice was apparent.

Tsunade bent down over the fox and peeled back it's eyelid and shined a small flashlight in it's eye, checking for anything abnormal. Immediately the pupil turned to a slit in the red iris, staring off into nothing. "I can give it some morphine. That _might_ help. _Might_. I can't do anything else because there is nothing to heal. He's perfectly fine except for his convulsions."

Minato nodded. "Alright."

Wasting no time Tsunade took out a needle, seemingly from nowhere, and injected into the animal. Almost immediately the effects started taking place. The convulsions and withering slowed down and eventually ceased. With one last twitch the fox lay still except for the occasional steady rise and fall of breath that showed it still lived.

Shizune sighed, appearing relieved to the blonde. She smiled at Minato before freezing in shock. She gaped at him for the longest of time, making him feel uncomfortable.

"Uh… Shizun-"

You're Hokage!" The pig holding girl was stating the obvious. She beamed at him, her happiness showing through her shining eyes. "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!"

Minato scratched his head and was about to reply when he saw something interesting. The grass a little to the left of him was bent as if someone had been standing there. The impression only a foot stepping on it could make. It was such a small detail that only a professional could have spotted. He was trained to find these small details.

He looked behind him to see a trail of grass pushed down, four trails in fact. One was obviously his and the other two where Shizune's and Tsunade's. That left him to believe that there was another person was here moments ago or still here. Tsunade seemed to have seen his inspection of the grass behind him because she confirmed his thoughts.

"When we found this little guy there was someone already with him. She had dark hair and was dressed as a civilian so I would assume she's not a ninja of the village." She told him seriously.

"Hinata?" He asked the blonde woman. It wasn't her that answered though, it was Shizune. She was nodding her head.

"That's what she said her name was. Do you know her?" She asked curiously. Tsunade also looked slightly curious too.

"I know who she is and I have spent some time with her, but I don't know her well. She is a friend of Naruto's." He explained to them. The small fox twitched his foot. "He's the owner of the fox."

"I know him." The blonde medic replied. "I've seen him around but I haven't had the pleasure," She said the word with a sarcastic tone. "to meet him in person. People say he's loud and obnoxious."

"He is." Minato agreed, then added. "He has a good heart though. He really cares for his friends. I don't know much about him. He likes to keep his past a secret. His friends don't give anything away either."

"A lot of people like to keep their past's a secret. There are some things that people want to forget." Shizune put in helpfully and logically.

"There something not right about him." Tsunade said without emotion. He nodded. "Again I haven't met him, but I can just tell. There are things you just know."

"So, where did Hinata go?" Minato asked curiously.

"I'm right here." A soft voice came from behind him. He turned around and saw Hinata with her long, dark hair draped on her shoulders. Her purple shirt seemed to glow in the moonlight. She smiled at Minato when he saw her. A smile that reached her lips. "Were you looking for me?"

"Uh… Well…" The Fourth Hokage said with much intelligence.

"I'm here now so what is it?" She asked so quiet his loud speaking seemed out of place in the quiet street. Before Minato could reply with any more smart words he knew he was capable of Tsunade swung her hand out.

"Did you find any?"

The young woman sadly shook her head. Her long hair swinging with her. Her eyes seem to grow sad. "No. There was none in the patches of grass and bushes."

"None? There is always a little if not some in the village. We could go to the hospital and get some or maybe even the forest, but that would take to long." Shizune murmured to herself as she tapped her finger against her cheek.

"Well, there was some short stems. It looked like something was torn from the ground. Maybe someone already picked them."

"Doesn't matter." The Sannin said in the silence. She seemed calculating and eyes Hinata with a new eye. "It looks like the worst of it is over."

"Really? Will he be okay?" Hinata asked anxiously, stepping forward and kneeling down beside the fox. She stroked his fur with a delicate hand. The red fox seemed to react with her touch. He looked up at her with large red eyes. His small nose twitched as a scent hit him, his ears jerking in random directions as sounds hit him. "Oh! Your okay!"

The small animal tried to get up but Hinata pushed it's small body back to the ground with soothing words. Kyube's eyes looked around him as he was pushed back to the ground. They narrowed as he saw Minato and did even more so when he spotted the medic's. He then shifted his red gaze to Hinata and they looked more trusting. He wiggled his way toward her and set his muzzle on her knee; looking up at her once more with trusting eyes.

"He does like you." Minato said out loud which was answered with a dazzling smile. "It looks like he likes you more than he does Naruto."

"I don't know about that." She stroked the animal comfortingly and trailed her finger under his jaw. "He just likes to be pampered and Naruto just won't do that."

She shrugged as if to say 'it's a guy thing'. Minato had to agree with that unspoken statement. Guys weren't good with pampering and cuddling with furry animals. Just wasn't done.

"Well, if this is all over I'm going to head back." The blonde Sannin looked at the small, red fox on Hinata's knee and deemed him healed. "He looks more than healed. Hmmm… I wonder what was the problem. Also… Never mind! I'll think it over at the hospital. Shizune."

With that Tsunade stood up straight and head down the street with Shizune jogging to keep pace with the pig in her arms grunting its displeasure at the pace. Minato scratched his head as he glanced at them and back at Hinata and her cuddling companion.

"I don't think I'm needed. Heck, I wasn't even needed at all." Hinata looked up and smiled at him before picking the fox up gently and standing up.

"Thank you for coming out anyway." She said it sincerely and walked over to stand next to him. She looked at the satisfied fox in her arms and her smile grew. "You may not think so, but you'll be a great Hokage. Just you wait."

She had said what has been on his mind ever since the Third had told him he would be the next Hokage. She had said his fears out loud and told him it was going to be okay.

"Yeah, we'll see. I'm not so sure of it."

"Trust me. You'll be one of the greatest Hokage's this village will ever have. Sometimes you have to believe in yourself first to make things become a reality." Something in her eyes made him stop the gloomy comeback from escaping his lips. Her purple eyes held only honesty and kindness; there seemed to be something dwelling behind them. It wasn't something bad, it was just something more. He blinked quickly and looked away. He immediately returned them to her at what she said next. "Well, I better be going. It's in the middle of the night and I haven't had any sleep. Plus, I have to get this sweetie inside somewhere. Naruto will be worried."

"I'll walk you back." He volunteered. "It is the middle of the night."

"Thanks." She smiled sweetly at him and set off toward her apartment with the fox still in her arms and Minato along side her.

"So… What do you think happened to this little fellow." He heard a small growl and looked into her arms to see the fox growling. He didn't seem to like it when he called him 'little fellow'.

"I don't know. It's weird. Nothing like this has ever happened and I don't have a clue what it could be. Well… This is an unusual case none the less." The last part was just a whisper, not meant for him to hear.

"Unusual…?" He asked. She frowned and a line set between her eyebrows.

"Well Naruto and Kyuubi, I mean Kyube have a special bond. There are only a few bonds like it. They are bonded for life." She explained. She gave the information feely and Minato was surprised. Naruto usually kept his secrets hidden from everyone. She was nothing like Naruto. "To put it simply, they are unique."

"…" He waited for her to say more and he wasn't disappointed. _Kyuubi?_

"Back home people didn't like this bond very much. In fact they hated it and let's just say Naruto wasn't on their good side." She looked around the street. Observing it. "Home is a lot like this place."

Finally he did talk, choosing his words carefully. "Doesn't seem like a nice place."

At this Hinata giggled for some odd reason. "It's a nice place. I think you would agree if you were there. It's just that people change over time."

"Hn." Was all he said. "What about Naruto?"

"What about him?" She asked and cocked her head to the side. The fox in her arms had done the same motion and was looking expectantly at him.

"Well… He's always so mysterious." They kept looking at him so he explained further. "He's so excited and energetic at one time and then the next he's hiding things from you and looks like he wants to kill you."

Hinata blinked and rearranged the fox in her arms so that she had one free arm. She reached up and touched the pendant that hung from her necklace at her neck. Her nail trailed the edges of the yellow sun. "See this. My mother gave it to me as a kid. She's the one who first told me that people change. Sometimes beyond recognition and sometimes not. She told me that you're only what you think yourself as. She also said that people shape their own destiny. This is my reminder of her words. It's always there to remind me."

"She's very wise." Minato said quietly.

"Wise? No. It's not wisdom to see yourself as who you really are. It's all heart." The smile that had left her moments ago came right back. She began petting the fox in her arms again.

"How does that have to do with Naruto?" He asked with a calm voice.

"Well, you believe him as a mysterious and strange figure. He's actually really nice and has a big heart. But I bet you already knew that, even if you don't know him that well. It's hard not to see that." The fox in her arms barked something in fox talk. "Well, you might see him as the mysterious, dangerous man, but he sees himself as a normal person."

Minato grunted. "Still there's so much I-we don't know about him."

"So?"

"So it would be nice to know who I'm dealing with."

"You seem very okay with talking with me right now and I doubt you know anything about me. I bet you know more about Naruto than you do me." She countered easily. It was a surprise because she was telling the truth. It was all fact. He did know more about Naruto than he did her or any of the other two that were connected with Naruto. But he did feel comfortable talking with her.

"Well… your just a normal citizen." He told her. He wished he hadn't said it once it came out, it sounded incredibly rude. He looked at her but her smile was still in place. If not still there but even more pronounced; there seemed to be something hidden in that smile. Something that sent the hairs on his hands to stand up.

"Just because I dress like a normal person doesn't mean I necessarily am one. You never know. Sometimes you just have to follow your gut on judgment of people. You have to be careful though, some of the time those judgments are only half right." She said mysteriously. She looked up and her smile turned into a grin. "Looks like where here. Thank you for walking with me and it was a nice conversation. Very interesting."

He looked up and saw that indeed they had arrived to the apartment she was staying at. Only one of the windows in the entire building the light was on. He would only presume it was hers.

"My pleasure. I have to get going too. I haven't slept much and Kushina will be worried." He yawned as she stepped forward and opened the door. She stopped when she was half way in the building.

"If you see Naruto can you tell him that Kyube is with me and he doesn't have to worry. Also tell him that we need to talk. Thanks! And good night!"

Then she bounced into the apartment building and was out of sight. He saw the shades drawn in the only window with a light on. He sighed. It was time to be getting back. To Kushina. To bed. To sleep. It had been an exciting day, er… Night.

* * *

"Shizune."

Looking up said person answered her mentor quickly. "Yes?"

"You know that-" Tsunade stopped herself, as if reconsidering her word. From Shizune's point of view it looked like she was considering something that had been bothering her sometime. "The morphine you gave me earlier today-it was newly made, correct?"

Shizune nodded, not understanding why her mentor wanted to know this. She'd told her earlier and she didn't think that she would forget that easily. Maybe her mentor was getting old… Shizune shook it away. Of course she wasn't, she was a well known Sannin. She couldn't start getting amnesia now. "Of course it was, you had asked for it to be."

"I see." The Sannin quieted to the black haired apprentice's dismay. She wanted to know what was wrong. Did she do something wrong? Shizune pleaded to Kami that she didn't give Tsunade some poison, which she injected into that poor animal.

_I would never forgive myself if that happened!_ Shizune shifted the pig in her arm's position, trying to not think of what could've happened.

Tsunade looked at her. "You didn't do anything wrong Shizune. Please don't worry about that." The apprentice sighed in relief. "It's just that something's not right."

Not comprehending she looked at her mentor. "Then what is wrong? It was morphine, wasn't it? And it worked, didn't it? I don't see anything that's the problem."

"No, it was morphine all right but…' The blonde led on, making it unbearable for Shizune to keep quiet. She wanted to know! Instead of continuing on Tsunade asked her another question. "Shizune, what is the average recovery time for a patient from a morphine injection?"

She replied instantly. "Two hours or more. Wh-?" The apprentice stopped her sentence as well as her pace. Recovery time. That was it.

Tsunade continued on, not even acknowledging her stop. "And how long do you think it takes an animal to recover?"

"L-Longer…" Shizune stuttered out. "B-But then h-ho-"

"Do you know how long it took that little fox?" The Sannin ignored her pointless questions and continued with hers, still walking at the same pace leaving her apprentice in the dust. As the distance gathered she had to raise her voice louder and louder till she was almost hollering. "Minutes. Five minutes. Maybe even less. It took a small pathetic fox not even one fifth of what it takes a regular ninja to recover from a dose in two hours."

Shizune was stuck on the spot, unable to take a step. Now the distance between them two was nearing around a block. She didn't move until the unmistakable yell of "Shizune!" snapped her out of her daze and sent her running after the Sannin. She covered the distance in a record time, panting when she caught up. Having to keep the same pace as they were before her unexpected stop the black haired apprentice was starting to get out of breath.

"B-But T-Tsunade! H-How?!"

"Simple. I don't know. But I want to know and I _will_ find out. That was not the average recover time, nor was that your average fox." Turning a corner they found themselves at the hospital, it's lights still brightly lit. It seemed to be welcoming them into it's sanctuary.

"How are you going to do that? You can't just barge in and-"

"That wasn't what I was planning to do." Tsunade said briskly. Shizune looked at her, wondering. _Then what?_ "Now I have a feeling that I'd want to meet this 'Naruto' and see what he's all about. If his fox is like that than I wonder if he's the same way."

"You don't even know what he looks-"

"He's a bleach blonde with red tinges. His irises are the color of rusty red, almost demonic looking, and canines that are longer than normal. Average height and weight, though a little on the skinny side-probably muscle. He wears a simple grey sleeveless shirt with simple black pants, and a light tan coat with the tails of an animal ranging all around." She paused, tapping her chin, not noticing the shocked expression that was on her apprentice's face. "I believe he has a strange above average stamina and one heck of a supply of chakra reserves. Also, if I'm right then he pretty damn good at fighting hand-to-hand as well a with jutsus, though genjustu sucks pretty badly."

"Tsunade!" Shizune was nothing less than shocked that her sensei had all this information about one person that she didn't even know or care for. She'd read through all his personal information on his file that was only to be seen and used when making an operation.

The Sannin didn't seem to care that she was staring at her with a scolding expression. "Yeah, yeah. I'm a bad girl. But anyway, Shizune do you know how strange this guy is? He comes out of nowhere saying that he's a friend bringing this weirdass fox with him. After he shows up all this other weird stuff starts happening. One event leads to another."

"I can't possibly believe that he's the one responsible for all the events." Shizune went for his defense, being as he wasn't here to stand his ground. "I think you're just overreacting, Sensei."

"Overreacting am I? Did you know that no one here knows where him and his friends are from? Even that black haired woman. Oh, by the way, just so you know, she's a ninja. Not only that but from what I know-which is usually pretty accurate- she has a particular ace up her sleeve."

"How do you know that?"

"Don't you know about the flowers I sent out to look for?" Tsunade asked her impatiently.

"Yes, the Kamino Lily. But wh- Oh my. I see." Shizune finally looked like she had grasped it. "The condition in which they bloom is what you are referring to I presume."

"Yes, they can only grow in the shadiest parts of nature. They can be grown anywhere, but there is a catch. They bloom every night and fold into themselves when the sun comes out. They are very easy to grow but very difficult to spot. Remember I showed a patch of them to you. Their outside layer is pitch black and their inner layer is a rich, dark purple. Both in daylight and nighttime they are the hardest thing to see." She paused to see if Shizune had grasped everything. She nodded in approval as she saw that she had. "You have to have special kind of eyes to see them. Although they have excellent camouflage they are very easy to sense. They push out a flow of chakra. They are the only plant in the world to use and have chakra. The only bloodline in the world to see them is only found in Konoha. The Byakugan."

"That's impossible." Shizune argued urgently. They had walked through the doors of the hospital and many people had greeted them. Tsunade and Shizune didn't answer any one of them; they were to engrossed in their own conversation and discovery. The nurses and doctors noticed this and soon left them alone. The pair weaved among the many hallways of the hospital not once looking up because they knew these hallways like the back of their hands. "What your implying is beyond logic."

"Is it? It's not impossible. Just highly unlikely. You and I both know that the Hyuga clan try to keep to themselves and keep all their secrets within the family. But they don't always succeed in keeping the clan together; once in a while a person disconnects from them."

Shizune shook her head. "Bu-"

"Oh, don't be such a fool Shizune. I know you better than that. You can't believe what everyone throws at you, can you?"

"No I guess not." The black haired apprentice looked down at the pig in her arms, wondering just if everyone was what they appeared to be. She couldn't be really sure, could she. No, she couldn't. No one ever could. "Well then, when do you plan on meeting this 'Naruto?'"

"I'm not going to meet him."

"But you just said that you were going to meet him. You said so earlier!"

"I said I _wanted_ to meet but it turns out I'm _not_ going to meet him."

"What-Why?!"

Tsunade shrugged. "He's not here anymore. Plain and simple. Why would I go after someone who isn't even here? I'll just have to made due to meet him when he comes back here."

"How is it that he's not here? Of course he's here. Why wouldn't he be?"

Tsunade stopped, making Shizune almost collide into her. Turning the woman put her full gaze on the apprentice. Shizune wanted to squirm under it but forced herself not to. It would only show she was weak to the Sannin. "Are your senses that dull that you didn't feel the spike of chakra earlier?"

Shizune tried to speak but Tsunade cut her off with a sentence of her own. "Minato felt it, but he was to focused on the stupid fox and the waves of uncontrollable chakra coming off it. It didn't seem important. But I know for sure that it was the fox boy. I don't think I've ever felt someone's chakra that was that messed up."

"Do you think we should tell someone?"

"No."

"No?! Why?"

_It could be helpful for everyone! They might start worrying about him and we'd know he was gone! By telling them we could save them a lot of trouble!_ She didn't speak or voice out her thoughts but stayed quiet knowing full well that she shouldn't speak up against her sensei. Tsunade would tell her everything and for every reason if she stayed quiet.

Her silence brought her answer coming out of the older woman's mouth. "Once we told them they'd be all at us demanding where he was. And of course we wouldn't know where he went off to. That would lead to nothing. They would worry yes, but that would let everyone to get a night's sleep. No one would be up all night worrying about something that might be so simply handled."

Shizune nodded. "That does seem logical. Okay, we won't tell anyone." Even though she agreed with her sensei she couldn't wash away the forbidding feeling that was in her stomach. The feeling that something wasn't right, but amiss.

Tsunade grinned. "That's right. Now we can focus on what's important," Draping an arm around Shizune's shoulders she grinned even wider, this time showing all her teeth. "our winnings on those bets I made."

"Tsunade!"

* * *

Naruto moaned in pain. The pain was coming from his head, no doubt about it. Banging his head against a brick wall would have been more of a comfort. Heck, letting both Sakura _and_ Obaa-chan punch him senseless would be less painful. And that was saying something.

All he remembered was closing his eyes into a blissful sleep and waking up what seemed moments later to darkness and a unbearable pain in his whole being. The pain was so unendurable that he just wanted to curl up and cry. Of course he didn't do that… He only did the first thing. He heard a twig crack and still in pain he turned his head toward the noise. That was when the attacker hit. He/she had hit Naruto square in the back of the neck, making him unconscious in a matter of seconds. His last thought before going under was, _I hope I don't land on my butt when I fall. That would be embarrassing._

Now he was awake though. He had all his senses with him instantly. There was only one problem: he couldn't sense anything. He was in complete darkness so that left sight out of the question. All he heard was the ring of silence. He could smell dirt, lots of it; the scent of the earth was so strong that it was the only thing he could get a whiff of. In his mouth were specks of dirt, he tried spitting it out but to no effect. He felt dirt beneath him and when he reach his hands out behind him he touched-you guessed it-stone. It was hard and smooth. Manmade. Being a badass ninja he was he had a sixth sense-the sensing of chakra. Yeah he was bad at it, but this was a bad time to think about the negatives. It took all his focus not to get distracted and reach out. Sadly he felt absolute nothingness. It was like he was cut off from the world. It kind of scared him.

As he was focusing on everything he found something out. He was tied up. There were chains around his arms, which were uncomfortably set behind him. They allowed him the minimum movement of the few inches he'd accomplished earlier. Starting at his wrists the thick chains wrapped around his forearms up until his elbows, making it hard-if not impossible-to bend his arms. When the blonde tried to move his legs to get him into a kneeling position he heard the tinkling of chains and wasn't at all glad to see his legs had been immobilized as well. This time they ran from his ankles to his thighs. He couldn't walk even if he tried.

"Well, this blows."

His voice echoed, telling him that the room itself was big and empty. He was all alone in a place that could ultimately be his death place. That was a cheery thought. Place: Unknown. Time: Unknown. Chances at getting out: Slimmer than slim.

Yeah, he was totally screwed wherever he was.

Naruto shivered as he felt a chill run through the room. Thus allowing him to find out that his coat was no longer with him. Just him and his sleeveless grey shirt. The worst part was that that coat held most, if not all, his weapons stored in it. As well as the Gravity Seals to boot. Now that was a major bummer. No weapons, no seals, no bombs, and no plan. It was turning out to be a crappy night for him.

And things just kept on getting worse.

"Ah, our little fox has awaken." Said a dark, yet familiar, voice from somewhere in the darkness. "How are you feeling today, Naruto?"

_Yep, definitely screwed._

* * *

**Author's comments:**

**N: Yay! Kidnapping!**

**M: I don't see how that's good.**

**N: Now that Naruto's captured everyone has to go after him and help him out! XD**

**M: And…**

**N: A certain very special someone will come-you know who!**

**M: No… Oh. Yay! Hazah!**

**N: My happiness is spreading! For everyone out there who wants to kill yourself: put down the knife, throw down the homemade belt-rope, step away from the roof edge, and lets all gather together and sing the Campfire Song song.**

**M: THE C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G SONG! THE C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E-S-O-N-G SONG! IF YOU THINK YOU CAN SIGNG IT FASTER THAN YOU'RE WRONG, BUT IT'LL HELP IF YOU JUST SING ALONG! IT'LL HELLLPPP! IT'LL HELLLLPPPP! IF YOU JUST SING ALOOONNGG! YEAH!**

**N: Little off tune but you're still good. I applaud you and your talent. I bow down to your greatness.**

**M: Oh yeah. Oh, review!**

**N: Yes, yes! Review! I'll make us happy and we'll sing the Campfire Song song! So do review!**

**M: And ending with that cheery note…. Goodbye.**


	15. Chapter 15

Life sucked. Well, those were the thoughts going in Naruto's head when he shifted his body around and saw the face of his captor. Well, the multiple faces of his captor. There were six figures standing there, each face similar to the one next to it, but still having a uniqueness of an individual; all wearing the same black cloak with crudely stitched red clouds on them.

All six of them came in various sizes, the smallest one was closest to him and he could see a feminine line to her. The biggest one was probably three heads taller than him, bulky with enormous broad shoulders. All had the same orange hair and some sort of black piercing all over each face. Some of them had more, some had less, some had them spread apart, some had them close together, either way it was a bold fashion statement.

The one in the middle was obviously the leader. They all stood with their back's straight and their heads up high, but the one in the middle was different. He too had the piercing the others had and the orange hair; a piercing on either side of his nose going gradually down, six in all. He wasn't looking down in scorn at Naruto like the others, he was staring at Naruto with intense curiosity. As the others were compacted closely together he was given much room from the others. The others wore smiles, smirks and frowns on their faces as his was neutral.

He had also asked how Naruto was feeling and that was pretty thoughtful. Well, that's what Iruka-sensei said when people asked him how he was doing. He wasn't sure if this guy was asking because he truly cared or because he wanted to play around with Naruto. Either way Naruto wasn't going to show them anything.

The blonde shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm okay. It's kinda chilly in here, but other than that I'm just peachy."

"Glad to hear it." The leader told him with that neutral face. The biggest one gave him one big smirk. Overconfident jerk.

"Yeah, this'll be the last time you feel this good." Naruto saw the leader's eye dart to the big one's direction. He might be pissed. Naruto couldn't tell; he wasn't good with reading people's emotions and this was like a bigger challenge.

"So how long with this little party be going on? 'Cause I got things to do." Naruto asked them in a bored tone. He let some of his hair get into his face, covering his eyes and in doing so he saw that there were no red tips. He could conclude that he was looking like he normally did. Blonde hair, blue eyes, longer than ordinary canine, and whisker marks on each of his cheeks.

"I'm sorry to here that." The leader guy didn't look all that sorry. "Actually, you'll be staying with us until your purpose if fulfilled."

"Oh, of course. What was I thinking." His back muscles were pretty tense with his hands behind him, another thing that sucked. "Sorry, I didn't get the memo. What is my purpose exactly?"

"You'll soon find out." The big one chuckled darkly. Naruto did not like this guy. He wanted to punch him so bad. Maybe even add a kick or two.

"I don't like surprises very much, but if it's for you then I guess I can manage." He didn't know much about these people but he didn't like them very much. "Can you at least tell me you names then?"

This time the leader did show some emotion. It was a slight upturn of both sides of his lips. It was more like a grimace than a smile actually.

"We are Pein." All six of the figures said at the same time. And all together turned around to disappear in the door that Naruto had just noticed. Before she was out the door the smallest one turned around and pranced back to him. Yes, she pranced.

She bent down until her mouth was at Naruto's ear level. "We're going to take away the thing that makes you special little fox. Take it all away. But you won't need to worry about that, you won't be alive to feel it. By the end of tomorrow you'll be dead and our cause will be that much closer to be done. "

She smiled devilishly at him and pranced back to the pack of Pein. She stepped right into the group and doorway and was soon lost to the darkness.

Once she had left Naruto lifted up his shoulders and pulled at the chains that bounded him. He let out a sigh when he didn't succeed.

"What the hell are these things made of?" He asked himself, to which he couldn't answer. His shoulders slumped back down, making his knuckles graze the ground beneath him. That hurt.

_Of course, all the crap happens to me._

Naruto wasn't particular scared at the threat that he knew they were giving. He knew that was probably what was going to happen whenever he ran into any Akatsuki members. It was just that he'd been threatened so much in his life that the so-called thrill and fear was gone. No longer did he feel the need to cower in fear as people threatened him, it was old news. Ever since he was a genin he'd been threatened at blade point, and frankly, he was bored of it.

Another thing was that he knew he would get out of it. He didn't know how at the moment but he would get out. One way or another he was going to be freed. With or without help. The thing was that it was way easier with help than it was without. Less effort on his part.

As Naruto sat there in darkness a thought came to him._ They're going to need Kyuubi._ Thinking over it he found it to be true that the demon was necessary for his death. The blonde didn't know for sure how they were planning on separating them but he doubt they could do it without the fox. He highly doubted. Progressing on his thoughts he came upon another thought. _Kyuubi's going to come after me._ And it was true, his 'tenant' would come for him as well with everyone else. The demon might say that he hated him and would kill him at any chance he still cared for him in some small way. Naruto didn't know why but that gave him some comfort.

When the comfort came and went despair came to replace it. Naruto paled at the thought of being responsible for the injuring and deaths of his friends. He didn't want to be the reason they risk their lives when he'd tried so hard to separate him form them. That was the whole entire reason he'd left the village in the first place! But no, somehow him friends had followed him-though he tried so hard to not leave a trail-and was now going to risk everything. For him.

But then, he remembered what Kyuubi had said not long ago. His friends would gladly risk their lives for him, whether he wanted them to or not. It didn't matter if he ran away, they would follow him till the very end to help him in any way. And deeply he still cared for them and wanted to protect them as well. No matter what he'd always try to defend them. The situations didn't matter, nor did the time, he would still be there.

"Stupid." The blonde muttered, not completely sure if he was talking about his friends or himself.

Naruto knew that they were his weakness, all of them, all of his friends and family. He also knew that the Akatsuki knew that. It was plainly shown when he'd run away for their safety. It was sad when an enemy knew your weakness before you even did. It wasn't sad, it was depressing.

Depressed. That was something Naruto had been ever since he left. Ever since leaving he'd gotten more and more sad. Maybe it was because he wasn't happy with leaving even though he had to. He'd never liked it form the beginning and he still didn't like it now. Not even taking account his own feelings he'd left, doing something that he'd hated.

As time passed and the ringing silence became more evident as he lulled over these points in his head. Soon enough time seemed to cease and didn't try to remember it. His stomach growled at him, telling him its need, after what seemed like years.

_I could really go for some ramen right about now. _His tummy growled again, louder as if it was agreeing with him. He frowned down at it. _Don't worry, you haven't had your last ramen yet._

He went to shift himself into a more comfortable position, but was stopped by the chains. He groaned to himself and pulled a little harder on the chains. They didn't move. He then sighed and lowered himself down onto the cold ground and rolled to the side. He then curled up with his knees pressed against his chest; the chains attached to them clanging in the process. His still bounded hands could find no comfort with an position so he left them be. The bare skin that was exposed from his sleeveless shirt was scratched against the ground harshly. His eyes stared forward; it being dark meant he couldn't see, so what was the point of closing his blue eyes.

Once he had managed to get into the most comfortable position-which wasn't that comfortable- he went completely still. He tried to relax, but his stiff muscles wouldn't hear of it. He sighed again, more deeply this time. It expressed everything he was going through, all the pain and sadness. And no one was here to hear it.

He stayed in that position for quite some time, not moving an inch. After a while he broke through it. He yawned loud and proud. It was his body telling him that he needed a fucking break. After all he was rudely interrupted from his sleep earlier that day. His bright blue eyes closed slowly as the action of the day caught up to him. A slight breeze hit him. Which was a mystery to him: How the hell was there a breeze when he was most likely underground? He then drifted into a fitful sleep. No dreams or painful thoughts of friends tormented. His last thought was:

_They aren't very gracious hosts. I mean there isn't any blankets anywhere and they haven't even offered me a drink._

* * *

"Don't worry, I bet he's fine."

It was late morning and all was not well in a once happy village, especially that in the small apartment.

Hinata paced back and forth across the room, clearly agitated. She had been like this all morning, worrying her head off. The only thing that could ease her worrying would be seeing the blonde and at this moment of time she had no clue where he was.

During the celebration they'd been worrying about him sure, but all of them had been expecting him to come back. In the morning they'd all expected to see him all tucked out on his bed from doing whatever he had been doing during the night. Or maybe to wake up from him yelling that he wanted some ramen. They at least expected him to be in the apartment he was currently living in. He wasn't there.

_Where could he be?_ Hinata asked herself over and over, but it still didn't produce with an answer. Images and thoughts kept on appearing in her head of what could go wrong with him. All the possibilities seemed endless. Naruto was a person who attracted enemies and traps like a magnet, she knew this for a fact. Every time she'd gone on missions with him it had always proved to be more trouble than it was worth. When he was a boy it was overwhelming. She shuddered at the thought of how bad it was since he had grown apart from her.

"How do we know that for sure?" The Hyuga snapped, allowing her emotions to get the better of her. It wasn't often that this happened, only when she was really nervous and troubled. As well when it was concerned about her blonde. "Something could've happened and we've never known about it."

Hanabi was in a moment of shock but eventually evened it out to a calm expression; the surprise glint was still in her eye though. She looked at Hinata carefully. "Do you honestly believe he would be so foolish to get himself captured? As if he would ever allow it."

Hinata blinked. She had never said Naruto was weak. "No, bu-"

"And do you think he's so weak that he can't take care of himself?" Hanabi pressed on not taking her eyes of her sister.

"I neve-"

"Then don't go jumping to conclusions. He could just be messing with us." She paused. " Although your possibility might be right."

Konohamaru had been standing behind Hanabi watching Hinata pace with a silence. He and his grandfather were watching the process with quiet mouths and observant eyes. Konohamaru had his hands casually leaned against the back of Hanabi's chair and the Third had taken to a position in the corner of the room with arms crossed. The Kyuubi had jumped out of Hinata's arms when her pacing started; he had found his place in the apartment kitchen's counter. The kitchen itself was opened up into the living room so he had a clear view of the proceedings. The demon fox had just finished some ribs he had taken from the fridge. All was left were the bones. How he had gotten in there was a mystery itself.

"Hinata calm down. Bro is more than capable in taking care of himself. He can handle whatever situation he's in. We'll be able to know if he's in trouble and need our help. We got the fart bag over here." Konohamaru know pointed toward the Kyuubi who snarled at the name. The teen took no notice of it and continued. "If something deadly happens to Naruto, Kyuubi will know of it. After all their life forces are tied together.

"**You should give me some respect Junior Meatbag. The karma will come at an unfortunate time. Maybe on the battlefield." **The Kyuubi seemed kind of irritated that Konohamaru had just stated how much Kyuubi's life depended on Naruto. **"The idiot is captured. That you are correct. He is held captive by Akatsuki and I do want to rush over there and tear them to shreds but I'm not going to. Neither is anyone of you."**

Hinata had taken a big breathe of air when Kyuubi had said her fears. "Why not?"

"**There are two reasons. First off, I have only a general sense of where he is. They are somehow blocking me from the Kit. Second, they aren't harming him in any way. They are going after him because of me and I'm not in him anymore. They will soon realize this. Either the Kit will escape himself or they will kill him." **The Kyuubi told them firmly.

"See… he doesn't need or help. He might escape himself." Hanabi tried to sooth her sister. "As for the other choice of happening. Well… Er… Well, just come to the rescue before that has a chance of happening."

"What if we come to late." Hinata asked quietly. That quiet expressed more emotion than yelling. "That would be a big risk we'll be taking. Don't you think?"

"Being a ninja is all about the risks." The Third spoke up from his place at the corner. His wise eyes gazed at Hinata, boring into her, making her fidget. "Sometimes it's these risks that save lives or destroy them."

"**At least one of you has some common sense." **The Kyuubi muttered while he started chewing on the rib bones next to him. **"Stop pestering one another. It's annoying. This is why I hate dealing with humans. Always going into action and never thinking. It's humans that got me into this mess in the first place. Stupid Meatbags you are." **

"Hinata, sit down." Hanabi urged, still in that soothing voice. She pointed toward the one of some empty chairs in the room. Hinata sat. "Okay, now what are we going to do?"

"Do about what?" Konohamaru asked, still leaning on her chair. She turned her head back and gave him a look.

"Akatsuki. That's what." She explained impatiently to him. "Once they find out about Naruto not having the Kyuubi inside of him they're going to either kill him or use him to get the Kyuubi."

"The problem is that we don't know whether they're going to kill Naruto or not." The third quietly stated. They all heard a loud _snap _and everyone looked to see the Kyuubi holding two halves of a once whole bone. They had expectant expressions on.

"**What? I don't know if the Kit is going to die or not. I'm not his damn nanny." **The demon fox grunted at them then put his focus back to destroying the bones.

They all took their eyes away from the fox. All except the Third that it. He continued to stare at the Kyuubi long after everyone else stopped. After a while the small fox seemed to feel the old eyes on him and looked up.

"**What?"**

"Your hiding something." It was just a small statement. But that one statement got attention as it came into the air.

"**Hiding?" **A red tail with a tip of black _swooshed _through the air surrounding it. **"How absurd. What possibly could I be hiding?"**

"I don't know. You tell me." Konohamaru boldly demanded. "You're the one who keeps bragging how he's the most powerful being on this earth."

Moments passed where no one moved. Then the Lord of Chaos snapped one of the two halves in half again and did the same thing to the another on. Having four pieces of bone now. He chuckled darkly.

"**You guys are smarter than I give you credit for. Yeah I'm hiding something. So what? Not like it's of any importance to this fucking problem."**

"It might help Naruto." Hinata told the small creature. Which just shrugged, he shoulder going up high.

**If he doesn't fucking live through this than he wasn't strong enough to posses my powers." **He told them simply. **"Survival of the fittest."**

"Posses your powers? I haven't ever seen him use your powers?" Hinata questioned. "I've seen him lose control of it and you start over powering him but that's it."

"**Times change. Things change." **He again shrugged his shoulders. **"What are ya going to do? Fate is a bitch."**

"Wait. Does that mean he has more power? Your power." The scarf wearing teen asked. His eyes seem to bore into the small animal. It's tail swished uncomfortably. "Does he have all your power? If so…How are you even here than?"

"**Yes he has power! What did you think. He was as weak as a small bunny?"** More _snaps_. More bone pieces. **"Okay yeah he has all my power. But I could still kill you any second I wanted too!"**

Konohamaru just waved his hand in silent dismissal of the threat. "Then how are you still here? Still in a physical form? I thought demons are just made up of large amounts of chakra?"

"**Too many questions for my liking… I'm here because I wish myself to be. I rather have the freedom to kill and move around than be stuck inside that idiot's head." **The demon lifted his head to stare up at the ceiling above him. **"His mind is my prison. Not much fun."**

"Okay…" Hanabi was biting her lip thoughtfully. She was mumbling to herself. "So he has your powers now… And he resembles a… you two are connected… Akatsuki wants… Oh!"

Taking his eyes from the 'exciting' ceiling the Kyuubi brought his eyes to look over at her. His lips went up in a cruel smile, tip of his tail twitching, and his tainted red eyes focused entirely on her. He didn't speak though, he was waiting for her to speak out loud.

"You and Naruto have been mixing together." She paused. "What I mean is that your chakras have been melding together over the past years. Haven't they? That's what I saw when I looked at Naruto with my Byakugan."

"**Wow. I'm fucking impressed. You got it. Woopdey doo. Give yourself a medal."** The sarcasm in his voice was evident. He didn't seem to really care what she found out or not. **"Yeah, yeah. Are chakras have been mixing for a while, combining into one."**

"So, he's starting to demon-ish?" Hinata asked quite not wanting to believe it. She looked scared.

The Kyuubi chuckled darkly **"No. Don't worry he'll still be your precious little ninja. What I'm saying is that his chakra and mine are combining to get something stronger. He has access to it all but he's not turning into a demon. He'd make a horrible one, always trying to help worthless people."** The fox laughed at the thought, seemingly enjoying something that was taking place in his mind. It was mostly likely about treachery, murder, and blood.

"If he has access to all this chakra why doesn't he just use it? It would save him a lot of trouble. He could crush probably anyone with just the force of it." Hanabi asked, not fully knowing and understanding the blonde.

The Kyuubi chuckled once more, this time it was more strained. **"He doesn't like to use it. Plainly said. It doesn't feel right to him."**

"Why?" Hanabi looked confused to Hinata. The young Hyuga really didn't know the blonde as well as everyone else.

This time it was Konohamaru who answered. "It doesn't feel like he's won when he uses it. It wasn't really him who's fought, but the Kyuubi. Naruto's the kind of person who finishes what he started-his way." To Hinata Konohamaru just gave a small description of himself as well as their friend.

"**The lovely thing is that he's been forced to use it more and more frequently. Mostly by the Akatsuki. It's also because his body is getting more and more adapted to my chakra, or well should I say our chakra mixed, than his own normal chakra."** The Kyuubi added in, breaking his last bone in half. Looking at them he grunted.** "Damn, all done."** He turned to Hinata. **"You don't happen to have anymore of those, do you?"**

Hinata shook her head apologetically. "No. I'm sorry."

"**Whatever. It was a waste of time anyway."**

Turning the conversation back to more important topics the Third spoke up. "So, when do you want to leave?"

Hanabi looked at him uncomprehending. "What?"

"He said 'When do you want to leave?'" Konohamaru stated, repeating his grandfathers words.

The young Hyuga looked at then like they were stupid. She then whirled on the Kyuubi. "But you said that we shouldn't go after him. They might kill him!" Again she turned back to the two Sarutobi's. "Then why do you wanna go?! I don't wanna be the reason he's dead!"

It was Hinata's turned to calm her sister down. Pressing her hand down on her shoulder she gently pushed her into her seat. Hanabi looked surprised she was out, like she hadn't know she was out of her seat in the first place. "Calm down. Let them explain. When they're down then you can blow up."

Hinata smiled as she saw her sister open her mouth then close it. She was huffed up in indignation at her comment.

_That's my Hanabi._

Konohamaru snorted. "Jeesh, Hanabi. Pour some cold water and sizzle down." Hanabi opened her mouth, looking so much like she wanted to hit the boy in front of her. The Sarutobi boy continued on ignoring her. "Let me fill you in. We, as in all of us, are going to go after Naruto." He motioned his hand in a clockwise circle, acting as though he was talking to a five-year old. This made Hanabi's eyebrow twitch. "To rescue him."

"I know what you mean, Konohamaru." Her anger was apparent in her voice, as well as in her expression. "But what _I'm_ saying is that we can't go if we don't even know where he is, or if they might kill him if we do. I certainly don't want that to happen. No one does."

"Like he said," Konohamaru waved his hand at his grandfather, who was looking at him keenly. "that's what it is being a ninja. It's about taking the chance. Do you really think Naruto expects to free himself without us? If they have him captured he most likely doesn't know where he."

"No-"

"They also probably immobilized him so he couldn't just walk out."

"I know tha-!"

"Then why not?!"

Hanabi took a breath. "Because it's a trap-" She silenced Konohamaru with a cold hard stare. "to get the Kyuubi. That's their goal isn't it? To get all the tailed beast, including the nine-tails. And if they get the Kyuubi then we're doomed." Crossing her arms she started at the scarf wearing boy. Who stared back, crossing his arms, with as much intensity as her. Sparks could be seen flying. The sad thing was that the Old Hokage was stuck in between it, watching them both carefully.

Hinata sighed._ Oh dear._ The Hyuga heiress didn't like to see people fight, specially ones who had a relationship that neither knew about. She knew that their fight was pointless. They were just fighting because they-Hanabi-was just worried that the other might get hurt. Now they didn't know this now but they would soon figure it out. Well, Hinata hoped they would.

"**Hey, woman."** She heard the quiet words right at her ear. Hinata made to resist jumping at the closeness of the fox's breath. She hadn't had any idea how he had gotten right next to her so fast. It scared her slightly to know that he could be anywhere almost seemingly as quick as the Fourth. He eyes traced him to be on the table, leveled to her ear, as she was again sitting down. **"I'm gonna tell you something so listen up."** The Hyuga heiress could barely hear the words as they were whispered into her ear and she highly doubted anyone else could hear them as well.

"That's not good enough!" Hanabi said sternly, making her and Konohamaru's conversation flare again, providing cover for the Kyuubi's words.

"**I'm gonna tell you about the Kit and his… 'mood swings.' Once in a while he over exaggerates and things happen. Most of the times I'm there to help him gather his emotions and collect himself. Sometimes I'm not. And when I'm not there it gets… Out of hand."** The Kyuubi paused for effect. **"There only a two ways to get him out of this state. The first is a seal the Kit's 'daddy' created. Unfortunately it hasn't been invented yet, since he hasn't heard of me and hasn't thought up of a way to protect this village. Secondly, is for the Kit to experience an emotional punch in a face. Something, anything in fact, can get through to him and cause him to gain control over himself again. It has to be something dear to him; anyone of us could get through to him if we tried. But it all depends on how many tails he is using. The more tails the harder to get through."**

Hinata had been listening intently during the whole speech and inhaled deeply as he finished. "Why are you telling me this? I know it's good information but I don't understand. Won't you be able to get control over Naruto if this happened? It is your power."

For a long time the Kyuubi didn't say anything, just watching Konohamaru and Hanabi continue to fight. He stared at the two bickering with the Third quietly watching, every once in a while his eyes would flicker toward Hinata and the fox. Nothing escaped the old man for long. Then the Kyuubi spoke.

"**It's my power alright but sometimes even the most powerful of us can lose our will to control that power. In other words, I don't think I'll be able to stop the Kit if it comes to a certain point. I could stop him if it came to four tails, maybe five."**

The Kyuubi didn't like admitting how he couldn't get hold of the situations coming. It didn't make matters better that it was his own power he wouldn't be able to control. He shifted on the table and Hinata heard the small tearing of fabric as his claws connected with the table covering.

Then Hinata lifted her head up high, a proud Hyuga heiress for a moment. "We'll get Naruto back safely. Don't worry, everything will be fine."

"**Are you reassure me or yourself?"**

She surprised the small fox as she turned toward him and smiled. "I'm not trying to reassure anyone. I'm just telling you the facts."

The demon chuckled lightly. **"I like you. Not only can you find the best scratching places but your feisty. Speaking of scratching places…" **He trailed off with hope and she smiled a little wider at what he was implying. She reached over and scratched the underside of his chin. His tail wagged-more of a twitching of side to side-and one of his front paws went on Hinata's outstretched hand. In a matter of seconds he was on her lap growling leisurely at the sensation.

"**You're probably the only thing me and the Kit can agree on."** The fox said softly, lost in the scratching. **"We both like you."**

Hinata unknowingly blushed. _N-Naruto…_ Liked her. The Kyuubi even said so. He actually liked her, for her. Both of them did. The demon and the host. That had to score some points on he self-confidence chart. "R-Really?" She asked, uncertain.

The Kyuubi didn't seem to hear her. He stretched out on her leg, growling. To her surprise he answered, softly and truthfully. She knew she was the only one hearing him. **"Oh yeah. I can see into his mind. He likes you because you're so nice. Also, you've got one heck of a kick, I gotta say. I saw you fight through his eyes when he was watching you that one time when you weren't looking his way. Not only that but he thinks your pretty. He doesn't know it yet but he l-"** Snapping his eyes open the Kyuubi looked down right startled. He looked at her with wide and stunned red eyes, not believing what he, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, Lord of Chaos, was saying. From his expression Hinata knew that those weren't his thoughts when he was talking, but in fact they were…

Hinata fainted.

Falling back she toppled backwards in the chair landing on the ground with a loud _thud_. As she fell she took the Kyuubi with her, who was still shocked over what he'd said. The chair made a loud noise when it landed drawing everyone else's attention in the room.

"Hinata?!" Hanabi yelled, startled at the unexpected episode.

* * *

Ignoring Konohamaru and their fight she rushed over to her sister. "Hinata?!"

Konohamaru looked like he'd never expected that. He was looking at the unconscious Hyuga on the floor not believing that she chose this time to faint. "Please don't tell me she really fainted. Please, please don't tell she did that." He closed his eyes and then opened them to see if he'd imagine it. Sadly, he had not. He sighed. "Dammit."

The Third seemed to not know what to make of this. He really didn't. Actually, he'd never experienced one of Hinata's fainting days. It was quite a shock to those who weren't used it. A woman just randomly fainting for no reason would cause some stares and questions. "Is she alright?" he asked, concern plainly showing in his black eyes.

Hanabi checked a pulse. "Yep. She's fine." She sighed, thinking over something. "This used to happen a lot when we were younger. She used to faint all over the place whenever she was around Naruto." She shook her head, staring down at her sister. "I thought she was over that stage but I guess I was wrong."

"Must've been too much for her. Thinking about him being killed." Konohamaru muttered, aiming his words at the younger Hyuga kneeling on the floor. "To think of him _dead_. That he could be _killed_ if we don't get there in time to _help_." He emphasized on ever other word, trying to make his point clear.

He made it clear.

Hanabi raised her hand in defeat for the first time in her life. "Fine! We'll go! We'll go and help rescue him! There you happy now!" She snapped at him but he didn't do anything other than smile in triumph.

"Knew you'd give in some way or another." He said, sounding smug. Turning to his grandfather he became serious. "We'll go as soon as possible, if that's okay. But how will we go without Minato's consent? He is Hokage after all." This was a problem.

_He's going to freak when he finds out Naruto's missing and that Hinata's fainted. On his first day as Hokage too._ Konohamaru didn't see how the Fourth would react. Would he get angry or sad? Would he be surprised?

The Third smiled for some reason. "Do not worry, we'll just say you're going to give some friends of mine some information. As for the reason why I chose you… Let's say you're a close relative of my companion."

"Good. Now that we have that done and out with what are we going to do about…" He trailed off, his hand spread out in Hinata's direction. Hanabi answered him briskly as she stood up from her sister's side.

"Don't worry about her, she'll be okay in ten minutes or so. Where's the-" She stopped mid sentence as she spotted the small animals squeezing out from underneath Hinata's figure. She couldn't help but laugh at the expression obscuring his face. It was one of surprise and disbelief. "Looks like you were caught in the fall weren't ya."

He snarled at her amused expression. He wasn't one that liked to be made fun of or laughed at. **"Shut up! I was taken by surprise!"**

Still stifling laughter Hanabi let out some muffled words which sounded like, "I can see that. Actually I think everyone sees that since you are stuck."

"**I'm not stuck!" **He cursed at her, still pulling himself away from the unconscious woman. No matter how hard he pulled he couldn't seem to get him free. He was to small a figure: a small fox the size of a average house cat. Instead of doing the smart thing and asking for help he said snootily, **"I just choose not to get out."**

"Oh really? Cause it looks to me like your stuck, but that's just my opinion." Konohamaru said smiling at the displeased fox. He was chuckling out in front of everyone. He didn't try to hide it like Hanabi, he didn't really care to respect the demon. "If your not stuck than I guess you don't need any help. I was going to help you too."

The Kyuubi gave one more lurch, then slumped to the floor with defeat. He looked at them with pleading eyes. **"Okay, I'm stuck. Help…"**

"What's the magic word?" Konohamaru asked with a laughing smile. He just loved pissing off the fox, like a certain someone. The Kyuubi just snarled.

"**Now! That's the fucking magic word. Help me **_**now**_** you worthless pile of shit."**

"Never knew you cared." Konohamaru said still smiling, taking no notice of the name the fox had just called him. He took a step forward and crouched down in front of the fox. The teen then extended a hand out and grabbed the fur at the fox's neck, pulling somewhat. He then stepped back with the newly freed fox still in his clutches. The fox was limp but his eyes told all the hatred he was feeling. "Now there, all done. Time to go get Naruto."

"**Whatever. I don't care." **The disgruntled fox just stared at them with cold eyes. He then twisted in Konohamaru's hold and brought his hind legs on the hand that was holding him. The movement momentarily loosened Konohamaru's hold on him and allowed the Kyuubi the time to leap onto his upper arm. From there he then proceeded to climb to the teen's shoulder: His favorite spot. **"Let's get this show on the road."**

Konohamaru nodded. He looked down at Hinata quizzically. Hanabi noticed it and answered. "Don't worry she'll wake up any second. How 'bout you two go and tell the Fourth Hokage. I'll stay here with Hinata until she wakes up, then we'll meet you at the front gate. How's that?"

"Perfect." The Third answered with a smile. He touched Konohamaru's elbow and led him to the door. The demon tried to bite the former Hokage just for the hell of it, but the Third brought his hand up and flicked the fox's nose. The Kyuubi swung his head back as if he had been stung; he shook his head side to side as if trying to rid of a fly near him. "Come on. We must hurry."

Konohamaru snickered at the fox, not caring it he did hear or not. "He owned you."

"**I'm going to enjoy killing you when the time comes."**

The boy just waved it off, snickering even more.

* * *

Minato slammed his head down on the desk. Hard. It made a loud _thwak_. Paper after paper had come to his desk and was now beginning to overwhelm him. He was damn sick of it.

_I hate paperwork. I hate it so much._ He thought, not wanting to continue with his torture. He vaguely wondered how the old man didn't die from the waves of work, or at least not quit on the first day. It was a mystery to the blonde.

"Ugh." He grunted, his forehead still on the wood. He wondered what solutions he could use to make this easier. Maybe force Obito and Kakashi when they got in trouble. But they hadn't gotten in trouble… Yet. Or maybe he could-

"Sensei?" A voice rang out in the silence of the room. It was young and recognizable.

Minato jerked up. His head lifted so fast that it gave him a whiplash. A paper had gotten stuck onto his forehead, blinding his eyesight. "Huh?! Wha-?!"

"Sensei? Are you okay?" Said the voice, questioning.

"Who's there? And why is it that all I see is letters and words?!"

A hand came and gently took off the paper, allowing him to see Rin. She looked concerned, it was plainly shown through her eyes. "Sensei? Are you alright?" She asked once more.

"Oh, I'm alright now. You saved me from the blinding paperwork. If it wasn't for you taking off that paper I would've drowned. I thank you." He replied. She gave him one of her most questioning looks, one that wondered for his sanity.

"Sensei, you look tired." She stated the obvious. That was because he was tired. Waking up in the middle of the night and going out in search of a fox, only to find out that you weren't needed, could get strenuous. Also adding that he couldn't get back to sleep for some reason when he finally got home. He'd felt like something was wrong. "Did you get enough sleep?"

The blonde shook his head, not wanting to lie to her. Her and all the women in the ninja world had long memories that never forgot anything. "Actually, no I didn't. Had to get up in the middle of the night. Tsunade was there. So was Shizune. Things were really weird."

She nodded, seemingly understanding. "Oh, Tsunade mentioned something along the lines of that when I saw her earlier. She said to send her regards. I didn't know why at first but now I understand." A look of sympathy crossed her face, aimed at the newly appointed Hokage. "She didn't do anything stupid did she? Not that anything she does is stupid, it's just that… She can get crazy sometimes. Especially after she's had some-or should I say a lot-of sake."

Minato laughed nervously, waving his hands in front of him. He didn't want anyone to know about the little episode with the fox last night. "No, no. It was nothing like that. We just found someone injured, but they're well now."

Rin didn't look assured but she took his word for it anyway. "O-kay then, I'll be leaving now. I just came to see how you were doing." She looked around at his work space, and Minato knew she was noticing the large amounts of paper. "You should really get organized Minato-sensei, it's starting to get messy in here."

"Goodbye!" She left without another word, knowing he was going to ask for her help. Shutting the door close she left him alone with his work.

Minato groaned, knowing that she wouldn't comeback, even if he ordered her to. It was his paperwork, not hers._ She's abandoned me._ He thought sadly.

He looked around the room, wondering…

Twenty minutes later he was sitting at his desk, ruffling through the last of the papers. Few of the leftover clones were neatly stacking files in there rightful place. When they were done with that they disappeared out of existence, their purpose no longer needed.

_Much better._ Minato sighed with relief at getting all that out of the way. After that he felt guilty at using the jutsu. 'Shadow Clone' was forbidden after all. The use of the jutsu was not to help with paperwork. The blonde glanced around guiltily, wholly expecting someone to come out of nowhere and scold him for his bad use of jutsu.

But nothing disturbed him. The ringing silence was the only thing to be heard. All was quite, until-

"What? That's so embarrassing!" A voice yelled out, shattering the silence like glass. It was right out the door, and coming closer by the second.

"Yeah, I know! I told you!" Another voice excitedly said. It to was getting closer. And soon Minato could hear footsteps sounding louder.

The doorknob turned and in entered none other than Obito and Konohamaru. They looked into their conversation they were having, both snickering at something. The Fourth started to get concerned for him own benefit.

Following behind them was Kakashi and the Third. They had simple expressions on and were not partaking the other two boys conversation.

"Uh, hello?" Minato said uncertainly, wondering what was going on.

"Hi Minato-sensei! We were just talking about you!" Obito smiled at him, not noticing the blonde's confused face. Konohamaru was smiling to, but this smile was not reassuring at all. Actually, it was more a mischievous grin instead of a regular smile.

Kakashi bonked him on the head lightly. "He means that he and Konohamaru were talking about you. Not me. I don't wanna get into this."

"Fine don't get into it." Obito dismissed the silver haired genins statement with a wave of his hand and turned to Konohamaru with a big smile on his face once more. "It's that funny!"

Konohamaru started laughing again and looked at Minato with a amusing glint in his eyes. Now he was sure he had something to fear. "Did you really get drunk off only two bottles of sake? That's not very much you know."

Minato gaped in horror and surprise. _No… He didn't… Did he? _The Fourth looked at the Uchiha boy who smiled at him. _He did._

"Obito… You didn't."

"Oh yes I did." Obito laughed loudly. "I couldn't help myself. I had to tell someone. But don't worry I promise not to tell anyone else."

This didn't cheer Minato up. Just because Obito wouldn't tell anyone else didn't mean that Konohamaru wouldn't. And just by looking at the mischievous smile of the teen's face he knew that he would surely tell.

"Don't worry blondie, I won't tell the entire village." Konohamaru promised. _Entire village won't know but that doesn't count the ninja working here. They necessarily aren't villager. _He then noticed the small lump of red fur on Konohamaru's shoulder. Kyube. It's eyes danced with the same amusement as the shoulder's owner did. "But seriously, two bottles? Really? I'd guess it would at least take four bottles."

"We aren't talking about this." Minato told them flatly and eyed Obito with a cold stare. "You are so paying for this."

The red fox laughed it's shilling bark. It's red eyes seem to pin Minato in his seat, but he didn't let it show. Next to Konohamaru, Obito just shrugged nonchalantly, smile still in place. He wouldn't be smiling once training came around Minato thought.

"Fine, I won't tell him what you did _when_ you were drunk. That'll be personal." The boy's eyes said that that would be for another time. Minato began to form a punishment in his mind. It would take a while but it would certainly do.

"Let's talk about something else." The former Hokage had spoken up this time. He had been quiet behind the two gossiping and giggle boys. His calm eyes regarded Minato with deep eyes. "I need a message sent to some of my companions in the Rock Village."

Minato frowned. The Rock village didn't use hawks to send message. The landscape there was to perilous for the birds and their instincts warned them not to go near the perilous place. If anyone wanted to send them a message they would have to go there themselves and relay the message. He looked at the old man and saw that he was dead serious.

"Oh. Is there a emergency?"

"No, not necessarily. This isn't something major. You have other things that need your attention. I actually wanted to know if a friend of mine was going to be present at the Chunin Exams."

"Chunin Exams? Hmmm…" He tapped his finger against the table and looked at him seriously. He glanced over at Konohamaru. "Did you have someone in mind for taking the message?"

"Yeah, in fact he did." Konohamaru stated boldly, the fox on his should nodding his head. "Me, Hanabi, and Kyube."

Minato looked at him, not blinking. He brought his hands together and leaned on the desk, looking thoughtful. He appeared the part as Hokage: serious, proud, and intelligent.

"Why only you two?" He looked at the old man. "Wouldn't you want more people for the job? I know you're counting the fox but isn't he just a fox?"

"I believe in the two's abilities." The Third's hand came up and set itself on Konohamaru's shoulder that wasn't being occupied by the fox. "Besides, I've found out that this little fellow here has been trained by Naruto. He knows signals and everything. Quite reliable."

The Fourth blinked long and slow. "Really? This is new news. Very well then."

"Then it's all settled." The Third said quietly and took his hand off Konohamaru's shoulder. "We should be going then."

"Actually if I could have a word with the two of you." Minato demanded, surprising them. He then turned to the two genins. "Obito could you go find Tsunade if I could have her come here in two hours. And Kakashi, see if you cane find Jiriaya. Tell him to meet me in two hours her along with Tsunade."

"Yes, sensei." Although Obito looked slightly afraid that he was going to deal with the high tempered Sanin he didn't say nothing. Kakashi looked a little doubtful, the Sannin comes and goes as he pleased. Both of the genin walked out of the room, closing the door with a soft _click_. This left Konohamaru and the retired Hokage alone with the Fourth.

They stayed enveloped in silence for a few minutes before it was broken by the impatient fox. He barked low and stiffly.

"So what did you want to talk about." Konohamaru asked, his scarf covering most of the lower part of his face. Strands of his dark brown hair got into his black eyes. "Does it have anything to do with the message?"

"Actually, I was wondering if either of you have seen Naruto." Minato asked. He was satisfied to see them exchange a look. He was getting somewhere now. "I haven't seen him all day, or in a while. Do you have any idea where he is?"

Their entire attention was focused on him, even the lazy fox. His ears were pricked at his face turned toward Minato. He raised an eyebrow at their silence and waited for one of them to speak. Eventually one of them did. It was the Third.

"I haven't seen him for quite some time. I honestly have no idea where he could be." His eyes were honest, but there were many ways someone could lie. He had learned that long ago. He could just be telling half the truth for example. Or he could just be a good liar.

Minato then turned his unblinking stare at Konohamaru. His black eyes revealed nothing of his thoughts or motives. They stared back at Minato trying to make him break away, but Minato was determined. Konohamaru looked away first and spoke.

"I don't know where he is. He's probably somewhere getting into trouble or maybe even eating some ramen." He didn't look at Minato when he said this, choosing the floor to be more interesting.

"Uh-huh." He motioned toward the fox on his shoulder. "What about him then?"

"What about him." The teen asked, still not looking up.

"He's usually with him. At his side most of the time I have seen them." He explained with logic. He was true though. He has only seen them separated twice, including now. The first was last night. Kyube made some sort of noise. It wasn't a snarl or growl. More of a quiet bark exclaiming his response. Of course no one understood it.

"He does have his independence you know." Konohamaru looked up with slightly amused eyes. Then they were blank once more. "Other than in our memories Naruto isn't with us."

Minato sighed, he wasn't going to get any answers from these two. He looked up to dismiss them when he noticed something about both of them. They were in the exact same stance: arms folded, shoulders slumped, and half their faces hidden as they leaned their chin down. They looked so much alike in those poses Minato was speechless for a moment.

He quickly clear his face as they looked up, hearing his sigh earlier. They both looked at him with calculating eyes, serious and intense. He controlled his reaction this time and waved his hand in a dismissal. They left without another word or glance.

The door shut quietly behind them. Minato turned his chair around and looked out the window, leaning back. He saw the beautiful view of his precious Konoha. It was a lovely morning: colorful and lively. People were stirring all around the village, waking up from the long night.

He spotted a spare kunai on the ground and his hand darted toward the ground to pick it up. He spun in expertly around one of his fingers. He threw it a foot into the air and caught it between two of his knuckles.

"Hmmm… So Naruto's missing…" He mumbled quietly as he began spinning the kunai again. He was the all serious Hokage again, this time thinking about real matters. "And once he's gone they expect me to think that they don't care… And just randomly want to go take a message to a village I doubt they've ever been to."

He shook his head and leaned back more in his chair. He saw a small bird fly past the window, it's bright blue color making it more distinctive. It had a small blob of red on it's chest and it flew by so fast Minato barely made out it's color. He stopped spinning the Kunai and used its sharp end to flick unwanted hair out of his eyes.

"It also looks like Old Man Sarutobi is in it as well. Hmm… who would have guessed." His bright blue eyes trailed over toward the mountain. The plans of having his face up their soon was already in motion. "Do they really think I'll believe that… I'm no idiot."

He closed his eyes for a moment then as he opened then he go up. He stretched for a moment, getting his muscles prepared for the day ahead.

"Well, let's see how this is going to end."

* * *

Packing their stuff Hinata took her frustration out on the pack. She forcefully pushed all their supplies into the small sack that carried all the essential items for a journey as short as this one. Small enough so it wasn't a burden on the way there and big enough to carry what was needed.

Hanabi and Konohamaru were going to get her Naruto. They were going to save him and bring him back to the village. Everything she wanted to do they were going to do it. Without her.

It wasn't that it really matter to her, which it didn't. Hinata knew that she had to keep her cover so that all of them had the advantage of surprise. And that was the only advantage they had over their enemies, the Akatsuki.

Even though she knew this it didn't help that she wasn't going. The Hyuga heiress knew it didn't really matter, but it did for some part of her. That part wanted to see the blonde she loved more than anything. The other part knew what was at stake and that it was smarter not to go. They both fought each other viciously. So far it was evenly matched.

Hinata knew that what she did was also a step back from her taking part in the rescue itself. A huge step back really.

She had fainted. How embarrassing. The last time she had fainted was when she was a kid, in front of Naruto. But that was when she was young and Naruto had surprised her. He had hugged her shockingly and their faces were inches apart. How could she not faint? Now she had fainted and Naruto wasn't even there! That was even more embarrassing. How could she be there rescuing him when she couldn't even stay conscious without him there!

Then she had once again gained knowledge of the waking world Hanabi had looked at her and laughed. Laughed! It was a polite, sisterly laugh, but it was still pretty embarrassing. Hanabi had told her that it was just shock over think Naruto dead.

It wasn't that. It was what the Kyuubi said. Or was thinking. Err… Not thinking actually. It wasn't his thoughts, they were the thoughts of Naruto's. Even now as she recalled what he said a light blush evaded her.

She was frustrated now because she had thought she had grown up. She had thought that she had grown out of the fainting and stuttering and blushing. She had thought so, but apparently she had thought wrong. She had defeated many people and enemies, but she couldn't defeat her crush on Naruto. That in itself was even more embarrassing than anything else.

She sighed loudly as she put the final items in the sack. So loudly in fact that Hanabi, who was in the next room over in the apartment they had been sharing, popped her head into the room. She gave her a worried look.

"You okay?" She asked with concern. Hinata gave into a small smiled, Hanabi always trying to look after her. Maybe it was because Hinata did the same thing to her. Either way it was totally sweet.

"Yeah. Don't worry about it." A line creased her forehead.

"What is it?"

"You know when someone says 'Don't worry about it' then you shouldn't worry about it." Hinata concluded, but Hanabi was persistent. As many people find out when they first meet her.

"Yeah I know, but I'm asking anyway."

Hinata exhaled some air. "Do you think I've grown?"

Hanabi walked over to stand right in front of her. Hinata was about half a head taller than Hanabi. Her little sister raised her hand and put it at Hinata's height. Her eyes looked thoughtful as she looked at Hinata's height and her own.

"Yeah, I'll say you've grown." She said. Hanabi brought her hand down and touched her lip while attentively thinking things over. She looked Hinata over, making her blush, and shamelessly took it to consideration. "Yup, you've grown."

"That's not what I meant." She told her quietly with pink tinges across her cheeks. "I mean, do you think I've matured?"

"Matured?" She looked at Hinata again, but for a different reason this time. "Yeah… I suppose so. Why?"

"Oh nothing. I was just wondering." Hinata began to direct herself toward the door. But Hanabi stopped her by putting her own hand on Hinata's shoulder. "What?"

"He does like you. No need to worry about that." Hanabi told her. There was no teasing in her eyes so Hinata assumed she was serious. When Hinata was about to disagree her little sister cut her off by saying, "Even if it's not the way you want it, he likes you. You can stop this fainting, stuttering, and other crud you've been doing when he's around. Show him the real you. If he doesn't like it then to hell with him."

"Hana-"

"Shut up for a moment and listen." Hanabi said the words softly, not even raising her voice. Her eyes looked so soft that she looked like their mother. "He's to much of a oblivious idiot to know that you like him. Heck, I think everyone knows but him. If you don't do something then your chance will be gone and so will he."

Hinata opened her mouth to say something, trying to defend herself, but stopped. She nodded in defeat. "I know."

"Well, then. We'd better go then. And don't forget to tell him when we get back." She winked at Hinata and sped out of the room and called back, "Don't forget!"

Hinata sighed, this time she had nothing to say. He sister had just confronted her fears and beat the snot out of them. She had kicked the ass out of her worries. She had annihilated her anxiety in life into dust. This is what her little sister, Hanabi, had done for her.

This time with a true smile on her face she walked out of the room. She knew how she was going to get her chance.

* * *

It was a sunny day. It was beautiful day in fact. The sun was out, not a cloud in the sky, the village was full of life, children played near them, cats lazed about, dogs were playing and wagging their tails. The wind was undetermined, blowing lightly at times and not at all in others.

The Third was standing on the inside of the gate. They had been waiting for Hinata for about two minutes. _Why do women take so long packing? _He couldn't but help think to himself. It was rude and he regretted the instant he thought of it.

Hanabi had just flicked her hair out of her face and didn't notice when it came back once again to its original place. Her hands were on her hips and her mouth set in a impatient line. Her eyes portrayed her annoyance to the situation.

"How long does it take to say goodbye?" She asked to no one in particular. She didn't seem to care that she had taken as long as Hinata and only arrived a few seconds ago.

"Umm… About two hours." The boy next to her said looking at an nonexistent watch on his arm. The smirk on his face was amused at the girl's irritation. The prominent scarf around his neck trailed behind him, swaying slightly in the wind. His dark, observant eyes were focused on Hanabi. They seemed to sparkle with laughter as he took in her irked expression. He stood close to her, their arms almost touching, as if to protect her from some invisible foe.

Hanabi set him in her vision and glared. Her bad mood wasn't to be trifled with and his comments didn't seem to fly by with her. "Oh go jump in a lake."

"The next time we pass a lake I'll be sure to do that." He told her smiling. The girl crossed her arms and scowled.

"Don't be a smartass."

"You think I'm smart? Your to kind." Konohamaru told the irritated girl.

"I also called you an ass." She pointed out.

"Yeah, I'm just going to pretend that I didn't hear that."

She actually laughed at that. The third was slightly surprised at that, he thought she would have punched him as he had seen so many times. The old man looked at Konohamaru again and noticed that happy light in his usually cold eyes. It was always there when she laughed.

"Pretend away then." She brought her elbow to lay on his shoulder, leaning up a bit because of him being taller than her.

"Don't worry I will." He smiled down at her.

"Okay, now that we solved that stupid problem," She paused to smile back at Konohamaru to know that she was joking. "how do we find out what's taking Hinata so long?"

"She's on her way now." Konohamaru told her.

"And how do you know that?"

"Because I see her now." He told her and she looked to where he was pointing along with the Third. They saw Hinata hurrying over to them.

The Hyuga woman had reached them easily, the way a ninja would, her strides long and graceful. The old Third highly doubted that anyone would want to look away as she walked. She took every stride with somewhat pride and honor, probably unknown to her. Her whole stature was set with balance and nobility that of an heiress with chin high, shoulders back, and eyes clear. She was beautiful, that was for sure.

"I'm sorry I'm late." Hinata apologized, a blush on her face. The first thing that the Third noticed was that there was something in her hand: an envelope. It was plain and simple, the size smaller than a paper folded in half. Beautiful writing was shown on it, spelling out a simple name: _Naruto_.

Sarutobi gave a small smile, his eyes processing the word. He had to admit that it was cute, just simply cute. No, adorable was the appropriate for it. Just plain adorable. Hinata had to put some special words in there for the blonde to read. Soon he would know.

Secondly the Third saw what had to be a small bag. It was near around the same size as the envelope, if not bigger. The contents carried inside was hard to figure out because the bag itself looked so light.

_Hmm… I wonder what's in there?_ He thought to himself quietly.

Konohamaru waved off her apology. "No problem. It's not like we're going to do something important of any sort. We can take all the time we need." His sarcasm was apparent to everyone. His tone let it show that it wasn't meant to be insulting but playful.

Hanabi elbowed the boy in the rib, ignoring his 'ouch.' Smiling at her sister she replied. "Really, it's okay. We wouldn't leave without our goodbyes anyway." She looked at Konohamaru sternly. "Right?"

"Yeah, right…"

Hinata laughed softly at that. She was always amused by the two ninja, they always raised her spirits one way or another. "Really, I am sorry. I just had to do something quickly." She handed Hanabi the envelope, making sure her sister had a tight grip on it. "Can you deliver this for me?" She asked, a flash of seriousness coming into her eyes, as well as some nervousness. "Don't read, will you? Just deliver."

Hanabi nodded, sticking the note into her pocket of the smallest pocket of her pack. "I will. Don't worry about a thing." Then she smiled and stepped forward to her sister and gave her a big hug. Hinata returned the gesture and squeezed her lightly. She did the same for Konohamaru.

"Take care of her. " She ignored Hanabi's protests and continued on. "Don't let her temper get the better of her."

Nodding Konohamaru barely managed not to smile. "Don't worry, it'll all be fine." His eyes told the Third that that was true, nothing would go amiss. Not by his watch.

"I know." Before he could say anything Hinata pushed the bag into his arms. She smiled warmly at the fox on his shoulder, her kindness getting the better of her. "This is for you, Kyuubi. I hope you like it on the trip."

The fox sniffed the bag once, then suddenly tried to snap at it. Konohamaru barely had time to whisk it away from his treacherous jaws. "What's in here?"

"**Meat cookies!"** The Kyuubi replied happily, his eyes fully set on the bag now. The look of hunger was not missed by anyone.

Konohamaru took a quick look inside and stared at Hinata, raising his eyebrow. "Raw patties." He stated plainly.

"**No, they're meat cookies."** The demon stated, not taking his eyes off the bag. His nose twitched as the boy opened the bag and sent a waft of aroma his way.

Resisting to roll his eyes Konohamaru decided to play along with the fox. "Alright, 'meat cookies.'"

"He likes them a lot. It'll be a nice treat for him." Hinata reached over to the Kyuubi scratching his chin, making the fox close his eyes in pleasure.

"**Damn right I they will."** The Kyuubi growled, looking like he wanted to shake his foot. Like what dogs do when they were overjoyed but obviously the demon didn't get 'overjoyed'.

Hinata laughed, stepping back, stopping her scratching, telling them that they could leave now.

This is when the Third decided it was time for him to speak. "Now you must understand that you will have to get closer to the Akatsuki and let me remind you that they are dangerous. No reckless attack or anything of the sort. Just try and get by the rescue without much interference." He looked at Konohamaru at the last part.

"What?"

"Nothing." He continued to stare at the teen, his gaze unwavering.

"What?!"

"Nothing." He said once more, turning his eyes from him and focusing them on Hanabi.

"Um, yes?" She asked, uncertain.

"I would like you to keep your temper in 'check', as you would say. Your sister was right, don't let it get the better of the you."

Hanabi huffed up, looking slightly angered. She didn't like when people commented on her temper, that itself flared it up. In the end all she did was nod, knowing that what they said was right.

"**We're off! Lets get this show on the road!"** The Kyuubi said, most likely not wanting the Third to tell him what not to do. He nudged Konohamaru with his snout, emphasizing his urge to leave.** "The sooner we start the sooner it'll be over."**

Hanabi and Konohamaru turned and started walking out of the gates. Their pace was brisk and quick, not wanting to waste another minute. Both waved their hands in a quick goodbye.

Softly the Third heard Hinata whisper. "Come back…"

_Alive._

That is what the Hyuga woman wanted to say but couldn't. Sarutobi wanted to say the same thing as well, but he couldn't either. He just wanted them to succeed without a problem, but he knew that that wasn't always the case. There was bound for something to go wrong. There always was.

He saw Konohamaru's scarf wave in the wind, streaming like a sea of silk. It was a linen of hope for the old Third. Maybe, just maybe, everything would work out. Both the past and the future would be deemed safe from those who were threatening it's peace. Everything may go back to normal and the future would be set in it's right course. Maybe… Just maybe….

"Goodbye… Konohamaru…" He said so softly that he wasn't even sure he said it at all himself. It was barely more than a whisper. "My grandson…"

He'd known all along. It was just that he wasn't truly sure before if his observations and hypothesis was correct. He was old but not a fool. He could see as well as anyone, maybe even better.

Sarutobi smiled softly knowing full well that this was not supposed to be easy information. And it gave him a little wave of laugher deep inside knowing this and the fact that his grandson would not like it one bit. Time would force all the secrets to creep out and he liked knowing them before anyone else. He liked being fully informed.

The old man stood there with Hinata watching the pair disappear from view. He let his shoulders fall down for a moment before bringing them up again with a small puff of air. He turned toward the young woman and put his hand out and dipped his head implying to go ahead of him. She smiled timidly in response and set of with the Third a few steps behind her, smiling kindly at all who greeted him.

The soft wind that had been blowing a few second prior stopped. Looking at the happy people of the village he knew that no one had noticed the pair of people and the fox had even departed. He brought his head down to look at the ground, still keeping his eyes open on what was happening around him, but preferred to look at the ground. It looked like no one even noticed that Naruto was gone. Which was surprising since he let everyone know his name and that he loved ramen, especially ramen that wasn't paid by him. Everyone smiled when he came to them, laughing at his funny actions and comments, his goofy grin getting them to smile along.

He looked up and saw the ends of Hinata's hair flow in the air briefly. The wind must have blown it. He frowned suddenly, the wind had stopped a while ago. But the wind had blown her hair… Hadn't it?

That's when something caught his attention. Out of the corner of his eye a flash of white blurred to his left. It had jumped from the street floor all the way to the rooftops above. His frown deepened as he turned his head an inch to the right, making it appear he couldn't see but in fact he could. There it was again, skimming the rooftops running a path… parallel to their own.

"Hmmm…" It looked like the Hokage knew something was up. The Fourth sensed that something was amiss in his village, something about these strangers. Minato had sent a group of the ANBU to follow them. This was interesting news to the old man.

_Looks as if things will get pretty interesting soon._ He was worried about Naruto and the others, but he was secretly pleased with how Minato had instantly knew something was wrong. He thought of how the new Hokage would react if he knew what was really going on. He wondered what he would say when he found out that the future of Konoha was literally in the village. He then wondered how he would react about Naruto. He then smiled as the thought came up. _I guess time will only tell. But yes, things will get very interesting soon._

* * *

**Author's comments:**

**M: Total bullshitting here.**

**N: Oh yes.**

**M: Ugh, I hate writing run-ons. They so boring.**

**N: So right my friend. I don't like this chapter personally. Kyuubi hasn't cussed as much.**

**M: Oh, he will soon enough. Remember he's the Kyuubi no Kitsune, he has to be bitchy at times.**

**N: I love that bitch.**

**M: Yesh… Lets go get us some blueberry waffles. Me hungry.**

**N: There will be syrup…?**

**M: There will.**

**N: Right on, right on.**


	16. Chapter 16

_This shall be a day-maybe two-later. N is being to lazy and so there's going to be time skip. We like time skips, they're fun._

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_Why doesn't he give in?_

This was what Pein wanted to know. He had been wondering this for a while now, ever since they'd started trying to break him. Even as they tortured him, blow after blow, both physically and mentally, he didn't budge. He still kept his sanity.

As he looked down at the unconscious figure at his feet he still couldn't understand how this boy could resist. He was the boy they couldn't break. The boy who had to die for their future to stand. The boy that was a key role in their plans. The boy who would single-handedly destroy everything if he wasn't dealt with.

The blonde didn't look like he could do much as he laid there silent and still. Although they hadn't broken him yet that didn't mean they hadn't almost succeeded. All over his body was covered in bruises, purple under the intact skin. There were cuts, both deep and shallow, on his arms, face, and back. His shirt had more than one stain of red, and a tear or two. This was just the physical part of the torture.

The mental part of it seemed the most enjoyable. With the help of some mind jutsu users it was simple. Just go in the mind and jabbed at some vulnerable points. Although the more important memories were kept hidden and locked away the rest of the mind was easy to access. It was just a simple matter of where to stab.

Now that the Kyuubi was gone the ninja would feel almost safe to go into the host's mind. From what they told of it looked like the demon just left an empty cage and nothing else. No chakra, no traceable evil vibe, no nothing. Now that the tenant was gone there was no real use for it, nor for the seal, nor the disposable body. Both had nothing else to serve for, and neither did the boy.

Taking his foot Pein nudged the body, turning the whiskered boy so he could see him clearer. Blonde hair, tan face, blue eyes, long canines. This was the face of the person who had caused them so much trouble in the past. He was the pawn that had the few chances to become a king.

Pein smirked. No longer would the boy stand in there way. No longer would he keep the world from its true destiny. The Kyuubi would become theirs, along with the other bijuu, and they would rule a new world. The world would be born anew and everyone would marvel at what they accomplished. A world of peace.

"It's a pity you won't be seeing it…" Pein said, not truly fully aware that he was speaking out loud. It seemed to be directed toward the boy at his feet. "Don't worry though, your friends will…"

As if he had heard it all in his sleep Naruto let out a soft groan. There was more of a whimper to it, like someone had came into his dreams and turned them into nightmares. Pein wished that he did have nightmares-about him. The boy needed to learn to fear what he was supposed to fear. And he was going to teach him just that. "I wonder if he hates me yet?" He wondered aloud, no emotion coming onto his face.

"Sweet dreams, little fox" Pein twitched the edge of his lips upward in a not so sweet smile. It was slow and full of upcoming cruelty. His eyes flared with ambition, making his face look more malicious than ever.

He was certainly going to be the one on top when all of this cleared. It was no matter if a few weak ninjas or a demon boy stood in his way, he was going to win. He would make sure of it.

In the end a better world would be created.

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A small, green leaf fell from a branch high above the ground and silently settled onto the floor. That was the only warning before dark figures erupted from the forest all around them. These dark figures were armed with many weapons; some held kunai, but others were holding weapons that Sakura herself had never seen before. They looked equally, if not more, dangerous than what anyone else in the area was holding. The attackers-though they hadn't attacked yet, they seemed to be waiting on something or someone- looked nothing out of the ordinary. The only thing that that caught Sakura's eyes were the katana's with the Sound Village's symbol embedded on it.

Sakura herself was holding a kunai in each of hands and looked around at her friends. Sasuke was next to her, standing stock still, looking at the enemy with narrowed eyes; it was only a matter of seconds before the sharingan would be activated.

A little way in front of him was Lee already in a fighting stance, his bushy brows furrowed and his eyes blazing with 'youthfulness'. On either side of him was his teammates. Tenten had the large scroll she usually carried on her back held in one hand partially unrolled with weapons already coming out. Neji, who had only returned literally seconds before stood in the Hyuga fighting stance, his palms facing toward the enemy and his Byakugan activated.

To their left was Kiba and Akamaru with their lips pulled back in a growl, both looking mighty ferocious. The pair were in a crouching position low to the ground, ready to pounce and attack anything in their way. They didn't even twitch as small and big bugs alike started swarming around the entire area. Shino stood firm like Sasuke with his face covered by his hood and sunglasses. Bugs were flooding out of his jacket and crawling everywhere, flying all around him.

Sakura, with all her training in not letting her emotions show, made a face at the bugs along with Ino. Said person had her hands in a hand sign, ready for use the instant she needed it and had her tongue partially stuck out in a disgusted expression as she saw the bugs. Next to her was Choji looking bigger than usual, a half empty(or half full) bag of chips crushed in his hands and looking annoyed at being interrupted from his eating. Leaning against a tree with a rather bored expression was Shikamaru. His posture screamed lazy, with one hand stuffed in his pocket as he surveyed the situation. His mind probably already thinking of a plan.

One figure was detached from the picture though: Sai. He was to Sakura's left, a little farther off from the group. He was in the attack zone of the surrounding ninja with a look of curiosity on his face. In his hand was a paintbrush with black ink/paint dripping down from it; were the substance touched the ground smoke arose from it. In his other hand was a medium sized scroll, a good deal smaller than Tenten's but bigger than most. He turned to Sakura.

"I am guessing these people aren't you friends… Or Naruto's."

She opened her mouth to reply but Sasuke beat her to it.

"No. These are definitely not friends. Friends don't attack other friends with very sharp objects." He closed his eyes momentarily and opened them again to reveal the sharingan.

"Oh, so we may attack?" He pointed to a random attacker and asked, "And then I can have his goggles?"

Sakura turned to look at him and gave him a strange look. "Uh… Yeah, sure." She honestly didn't know how to react to his statement, or wonder where he'd gotten the idea from.

"Okay, then." Sai gave her his happy-but fake- smile, his eyes eye's forming into upside down 'U's. He started toward the ninja he'd zoned out. "I'll go get them."

"What? No!" Both her and Ino dove for Sai, each grabbing one of his arms. Ignoring his questions on why they'd stopped him they pulled him toward the rest of the group. "You don't go and attack unless they attack first!"

"Don't go and do something stupid and get yourself killed!" Ino whispered at the confused boy. She was scolding him quite dearly, like a mother to a child. Sai, on the other hand looked like a little boy who couldn't go play with his toys. Both of them fit their parts fantastically.

"Okay… When can I have the goggles?" He asked them.

"You won't have to wait long." Sakura told him as she flicked her hand toward the group of attackers. There, emerging from the center of the group, was a figure with a black cloak. It would have gone unnoticed if it hadn't been for the red clouds on the cloak and the straw hat obscuring the face of the man. It was generally what the Akatsuki members wore, as Shikamaru had been informing them earlier on.

Well… This is bad." Ino muttered as she spotted the figure. She looked back at Shikamaru who was still leaning on the tree with a bored expression on his face. Only now his bored expression was trained on the figure coming out from the mob of people. "You better have some sort of plan."

"Hn… You won-" He stopped abruptly as the character took of his straw hat to reveal a remarkably blue face. He-definitely male-had a fish-like quality to him. He bared his mouth in a grin to show a row of sharp teeth. Shark-like teeth with another row of them behind the first.

"Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in." His voice carried to them and Tenten, Neji, and Lee tensed when they heard it. Tenten tightened her hold on her scroll as Neji and Lee narrowed their eyes. "Seems like today won't boring and coming back here won't be a total waste."

He shifted the sword on his back with his shoulder blade and turned to them with a malicious smile. None of them said a word or looked away from him. That is everyone but Sai who hadn't stopped looking at the man with the goggles. He had a small frown on his face and he gripped his brush tighter as if he wanted to go and tackle the man just for the goggles. He was a truly a messed-up little boy.

"So, I'm guessing all of you are here searching for the fox boy? Am I right?" Kisame's smile grew wider when none of them said anything. "I am…" He continued on, oblivious to the death glares many of them were giving him, especially Sakura's. "Well the truth is that I don't know where the little squirt is either. None of us had heard of him for a while, although that's a good thing from all the trouble he's been giving us."

"Trouble…?" Sakura asked curiously. She couldn't help herself but ask, she had to know. Naruto could be doing anything and they wouldn't of heard of it. Ignoring the straight out stare Sasuke was giving her she kept on with her question. "What do you mean 'trouble'?"

Kisame chuckled seemingly at a memory of something. The sound sent chills down Sakura's spine, it didn't even sound human. "Yeah, he's been a real bugger. Little shit's the reason the other jinchuurik have been so hard to catch. He's always interfering, alluding us. I hate to admit it but he's turn into a real problem." The fish man shifted his sword a little bit more, trying to find a suitable position for it.

Sakura had to fight back a sigh of relief. Naruto was safe. Her worries were calmed and controlled, not longer overwhelming her. That was the one thing mattered, he was safe… And being a real pest to the Akatsuki! That was the old Naruto she knew and loved. Always protecting those that were important and fighting for what he believed in. No one could be a better him.

Glancing at Sasuke she saw the faint twitch that was the Uchiha's form of a smile. It was barely any movement so that no one could see, but she'd known him too long not to catch anything. He was happy as well that their friend was doing well and kicking butt.

"Seems like you're in deep." Sasuke said, no emotion showing like always. Although he had his 'smile' on he still didn't take his eyes off the fish man.

The man laughed. "Oh no, I don't think _that_ deep. We'll get through it sooner or later"

From behind Sakura she heard a familiar voice speak up, Shikamaru's. "Why do you think that? Doesn't look like that to me."

"You might not think it's working but it is. Anyway, I'm not the real mastermind." Kisame turned and walked toward the inner circle of the ninja. He acted as if he was through talking with them. "I play another key role." He called over his shoulder.

"And what is that?"

Looking back at them all Kisame smiled. "Bait." He said simply, laughing at their expressions. "My job is to get everything where it's supposed to be so that everything can go smoothly."

Instantly all the surrounding ninja leaped forward with their weapons at their side.

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_Clang!_

Sai leaned back as one of the ninja's sword met another's. A few sparks could be identified coming from where the two metals met. But sadly the artist didn't have time to see that because he was forced to step back as they both were swung at him.

_That's not very nice._ He thought, aiming one-two-three kicks at the two ninjas attack him.

Slashing his paintbrush across his scroll he conjured up a large lion. It wasn't a real one but a painting of one, looking like it had come up straight from a sketchbook. Roaring it charged at the ninja that were coming toward them, it's massive paws batting them like flies.

The young artist looked around trying to make out the figure of a specific someone…

There!

Dodging and running past other attacking ninja Sai reached the one he was looking for. The goggles man was current slashing his sword at Ino, who was doing her best not to get cut by it.

Ino aimed a well earned kick to his head and sent him sprawling across the area near Sai. Ino looked over to Sai and motioned toward the man's goggles with a smile. She then dodged a slash from a random sword trying to cut her in half and launched herself at the sword's owner with grim determination.

The man had dull brown hair and black eyes and was dressed like an average ninja complete with a ninja uniform and sandals. He stood up quickly and Sai noticed that he wasn't much taller than him. He didn't look that impressive in Sai's point of view.

Sai tapped his back. "Hello."

The man nearly jumped out of his skin at his sudden appearance. Whirling around he cam face to face with Sai, a small smile formed on his lips.

"Holy he-!"

"Can I have your goggles, please?" He asked in the nicest of voice, motioning toward the set on the man's head.

"Wha-Why?"

He shrugged. "I just like them." Raising his hand he motioned for the goggles again, the smile still on his face. "So, can I have them please?"

"No."

"No… Why?" Sai asked, his smile faltering.

"That would mean my submission to you." The goggled man said stubbornly. He leveled his sword with Sai's chest. "Besides, I wouldn't give them to a freak like you. Especially a ninja from _Konoha_." He said the village's name with disgust, like he couldn't believe that word had actually come out of his mouth.

At this Sai's smiled faded and a frown took it's place. He considered the man in front of him for a moment with his unblinking and unemotional eyes. His stare could make even Sasuke flinch. "Then I'll have to just take them."

The man snorted. "Yeah right, kid." He gripped his sword tighter. "I'd like to see you try. "

"Okay then." Quickly before the man could make a move the artist yanked out his scroll and again slashed his brush across it. This time instead of a gigantic animal there was a small innocent looking bunny. It looked to be crudely drawn, made by a rushing hand.

The man looked at it for a second, an incredulous expression plain on his face. After he had his fill on staring at the bunny he stared at Sai like he was a moron. "What the hell is that? A bunny? What's it going to do, nibble me to death?"

Sai gave a small laugh, his eyes forming into 'U's. "Of course not. How would a small, cute, little bunny like that eat a fat man like you?" His smile from earlier on returned, creepier than ever. Clearly he was oblivious to the man's reddening face. He pointed to something behind the man. "That on the other hand, I'm pretty sure that can."

"What are you talking about-" The man turned around and immediately let out a terrified scream. Before he could finish it the lion that Sai had conjured up pounced on him, stopping it short. The lion dealt him with a swift blow to the neck, dealing with the man quickly and subtly without so much as a fuss on it's part.

Walking silently toward the body of the once-alive ninja Sai bent down and took the goggles from the man. They were black and had clear lenses. To others they would seem worthless but to him they looked artistic in their own way.

"Thank you for the goggles." He said to the dead man, putting the goggles over his head and around his neck. With that he walked away and joined in other fights that he was needed in, the lion padding close behind him like a loyal puppy.

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Kisame stood still in the middle of the fight. He was grinning like a mad man, his teeth looking more ferocious. More than once one of the Leaf nin had made an attempt to attack but the surrounding Sound nin had stopped them. He saw the looks of disgruntlement as their attacks were stopped. He also saw some desperation in some of their eyes as they tried to attack him. He didn't know where that came from, but it was probably for the thought of finding that fox boy.

Even now a pair launched themselves at him: a wild looking man and large dog, both with long canine teeth and a wild look in their eye. But just as what happened to all the other attempts some random ninja came and blocked the attack. The pair snarled their frustration and sent their assault on the other ninja. He sighed. He wished he could just jump in and start killing. With his adrenaline up high and wild eyes showing the love of battle.

He desperately wanted to join the fighting; it was what he did best. He longed for the sound of someone's neck breaking, the smell of fear emanating from people's skin, or the feel of blood dripping on your hands. He missed it all. But of course he couldn't interfere. His job was just to immobilize them at just the right time. Once they were winded by the fight and didn't have enough strength to overpower him. He just wished he could have killed at least one person and if he had to not kill someone have some company at least. This thought made him frown as he looked around curiously, looking for someone. Someone with dark hair and bright red eyes; the always activate bloodline. The sharingan.

Itachi had come with him, but now he was nowhere to be seen. _Figures_, he thought dryly. The man never liked to be at there when the action was taking place. Only to come in after and act the mysterious man. Seeing that the Sound ninja's numbers were getting less and less his smile returned. If that was the case then, _Itachi should be showing up just about… Now._

Even as he thought it the man appeared in the shadows next to him, making his smile grow even larger. His straw hat still sat on top of his head, shielding his face from the world. But his sharingan eyes whirled maniacally, making Kisame dizzy as he watched them.

"Looks to be almost done." He told the Uchiha.

"…" Was all he got in response.

"I wonder if they know where the brat is…" Which got him no response so he continued on. "I was lying saying that I didn't know so I wonder if they lied too."

"The boy's in the past." Itachi told him in a dull and very quiet voice. Even though he heard it everyday it still sent chills down his spine. "I doubt they know that. It is classified information that only a few know about. And everyone of those few are Akatsuki members. So, again, I doubt they know."

"I was just wonder. Don't have to bitch about it." Kisame told him as he watch the fight continue on. Just as he watched a pink haired woman punched a man in the stomach, launching him into five other men; all getting killed by the impact. _Damn…_

"We should finish it now. Before it becomes to late." Said the calm, but dangerous voice beside him.

"Aw, I will. I just want to enjoy the show for a few moments. Is that too much to ask?"

"Yes."

"Fine, I'll finish it then." He huffed out while rubbing his hands together, but stopped instantly and looked at Itachi. "Unless you want to go say hello. I saw that one of them was a Uchiha."

A hand was placed on his shoulder, an iron grip. He looked up to see the sharingan whirling around and staring at him with dangerous calmness. The grip on his hand got tighter and tighter. "Finish them now. I don't have all day."

Kisame gulped, but didn't let it show that the threat even got to him. He grinned at the Uchiha. "Whatever you say. I was just trying to be polite and all."

The grip got even tighter. It stung now; there was so going to be a bruise there the next time he checked. "Kisame, you never try to be polite. Now finish them or I will do it myself."

"Fine." He said quickly, he really wanted some action in this fight. Anything was fine and he didn't want that taken from him. "I'll do it right this minute."

Grumbling about the mood swings of some people he made the snake hand sign and called out, "**Suiton-Bakusushouha.**"

With that said, a giant amount of water rushed out of the blue skinned man's mouth and showered down on the surprised ninjas. -Sound nin as well as Leaf nin. Although unlike the Konoha's ninja the Sound nins were killed instantly. Just as was ordered. None of the Leaf's teams were to be harmed, but the Sound's force could be destroyed in anyway the Akatsuki member thought of.

The group that was sent out to find Naruto was hindered unconscious and was limp on the ground. They could have either dodged the attack or pulled through if they weren't caught off guard. Kisame knew this, as did Itachi, and that was why he waited until this moment. The moment where they all were hindered useless by their battle with the Sound ninjas and to surprised to do anything until it was too late.

"Well, there you go. All done." He said as he took a step forward. "No all that's left is to cleanup."

"…"

He took a few more steps until he was next to a dark haired, young man with a small frown on his face lying on the ground with a kunai still in his hand. He nudged him with his foot and called over his shoulder to the Uchiha.

"Do you want to take this one or shall I?" When he heard nothing he turned to look at Itachi and saw the glare that was placed there. He brought his hands up in a defensive motion. "Alright. Alright. I'll take it. Just asking. Don't need to be so rude."

He reached down and hurled the young man over his shoulder. He looked at the nearest body and saw the pink haired kunoichi with the bitchin' arm. He shrugged, he could take her weight too, and lifted her up on his other shoulder. He turned to see that Itachi had the large dog and his master slumped on his shoulder. That must have been pretty heavy, that dog was fucking big. Itachi smirked as he saw Kisame staring at him.

"Pssh. Show off." He muttered, loud enough for him to hear, and walked passed him. He didn't stop and worry about the others still unconscious behind him; nobody would take them. Nobody was even here so that wouldn't be a problem. He heard the footfalls of Itachi but didn't turn to check if it was him, he just continued to walk until he came to a small body of water. It was to small to be considered a lake and to big to be a puddle. It didn't look very deep, it looked like it was five feet deep at maximum. Without a moments hesitation he threw the bodies drooped over his shoulder in the mass of water. Instead of just splashing into the five feet of deepness, the bodies kept sinking, until they were gone from sight. Itachi did the same for the two on his shoulders. Without saying a word to each other they went back and gathered the rest of the Konoha team. They did the same thing until there was nothing of the team. There was a faint glow in the water in the form of a circle. Instead of a regular line, it was made out of smaller seals. After a second it deactivated, vanishing.

Kisame gazed at the Sound ninjas bodies with a questioning look. Itachi saw this and waved his hand in a dismissal gesture. "Just leave them."

Kisame just shrugged and picked up his straw hat that he had thrown of earlier. Placing it gently on his head he turned to see Itachi waiting for him on the other side of where the fight had taken place. They were going to go back to head quarters.

The two walked away from the battle area and didn't look back once. They walked in silence before a thought occurred to Kisame, making him chuckle quietly. Itachi glanced his way but didn't make any comment on it. A few seconds later Kisame chuckled a little louder and a little more crazier. Still Itachi made no note to speak about it. After a minute or so he laughed once more and this time Itachi did say something.

"What is so funny that you have to laugh so loud?" The annoyance was barely visible in his bored tone. Kisame didn't seem to notice it.

"It's just that the boy better be happy after all we've done for him." He smiled like a fool.

"What we've done for him?" Itachi frown as he thought over everything they had done and stated, "We've tried to kill him numerous times."

"Not that." The shark man said impatiently. "We've sent all his precious friends to him. To keep him company for the last days of his life. I'd say that's pretty thoughtful of us."

"Thoughtful?" The Uchiha questioned doubtfully. "We only did it because they had a annoying trend to be in the way of our plans. It was a plan to get rid of them."

"Put it any way you like. We did his pathetic life a favor."

"…" The Uchiha had gone back to silence and Kisame sighed. It was a long walk and they would be spending it in silence.

Kisame sighed louder this time and didn't notice the slight twitch of annoyance of Itachi's eye. "I still wish I could've done some harm to someone. Would have been nice."

"You'll have your chance soon enough." Itachi's quiet voice was carried throughout the quiet forest and his sharingan spun at fast speeds. He then retreated into his mind where he was welcomed by peace. Until the next battle.

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A growl erupted from the Kyuubi's mouth, vibrating in his chest. It was full of malicious and anger, as well as a threat to those who were messing with him. Sadly, those people were not here. In stead they were somewhere close by torturing something of him that he could not protect as easily as his own body.

They were hurting him again.

No, not hurting him. They were hurting _him_. Naruto. He vaguely wondered how the boy could handle all this without giving in. Probably because he didn't want to let down his friends, or else he wanted to protect them.

_**Hmmm…**_The fox thought. _**You're a weird one, Kit. Stupid, but weird.**_ He wondered how the boy could go through this and still have his motives. It was all beyond him.

Shaking off the last of the blonde's pain-very glad that it had stopped-he stood up from his comfy seat on the branch of the tree and jumped to a higher one. He proceeded to do this until he reached the last that could hold his weight surprisingly. The air this high in elevation was thinner and harder to breathe, but it didn't bother him. He was the Kyuubi no Kitsune after all, height didn't matter, he'd rule wherever he pleased. Looking down he snickered seeing the little specks that were the two ninja he was with. Pitiful.

Turning his attention from the ground he focused on what he could make out in the distance. It was a lot. He could see everything in detail that was merely twenty meters away, everything else was a little bit tougher. Only just a little bit.

The forest, he saw, ended right about a mile or two away. After the lush green came the bare dirt brown canyons. Well, what he thought were canyons. All throughout his life he'd visited a canyon once, and that was way in his earlier life when he was just a youngster. From what he remembered it was a place where rock after rock seemed to be melded together forming gigantic structures that came in very odd shapes. Barely any grasslands inherited the plains, but mostly it was dirt and rocks.

The Kyuubi dimly recalled Sanabi boasting about creating one, though he didn't know how the hell the little shrimp could've done something like that. A simple wimpy stream could not do anything drastic to big, bulky rock.

He snorted. _**Jackass…**_

A movement from the far east caught his attention and snapped him out of him thoughts. Looking and focusing his vision on whatever was over there he sought out the move. After a minute he snarled in surprise.

_**Aw crap,**_ He thought he'd left all those worthless pieces of crap back with the rest of them when the Kit left. But of course they had to be there now. _**Here comes the douche-bags a marching.**_

Even as he said it the little specks that he'd focused on were getting closer to him and the ninja below him, and they were coming fast. Ninja could go pretty fast when they wanted to. Damn them all.

Looking down through the tree's leaves he spied Konohamaru turning in his sleep, involuntarily getting closer to the Hyuga girl-Hanabi. They were still soundly asleep, probably tired from running almost all through the night and only getting a few hours of sleep the day before. Those two could really get determined when it was concerning the Kit. Heck, anyone would when it involved him.

Both of them would be getting a big surprise when they woke up. The Kyuubi knew that he should wake them up, but he wouldn't. He would get a kick out of them and their surprise, as well as embarrassment. He snickered at the thought. Maybe the newcomers wouldn't be useless as he first considered.

Silently he made his way down the tree, jumping from branch to branch making no visible tremor of the leaves. When he was still a considerable height to see the distance but could jump down to the ground easily he sat on his haunches. Nose twitching, ears flicking, eyes darting, and tail swaying he awaited for what was to come.

"**Come on closer,"** The Kyuubi whispered softly, hoping someone or something would answer. He suddenly wanted time to hurry so he could do what he wanted to do. **"we can't end this show before it even began."** Sadly, time didn't wait on anyone, nor did it speed up, even for the Nine-Tailed Kyuubi.

Although the wait was unbearable he somehow got through it. Soon, after a matter of minutes, light pounding could be heard to the fox's ears that was getting closer. He immediately recognized it to be the foot steps he'd been waiting for.

Below him, the two that had been sleeping were drowsily coming awake. Maybe it was some ninja instinct. Who knew. The Kyuubi was slightly saddened, it would've been funny to see the pair get caught sleeping in the position they were previously in. Just the though of it set him smiling.

Chuckling slightly he watched the newcomers enter his sight. They were cautiously weaving there way through the trees like ninja should. He would make use of them, whether for good or bad, it was all up to him.

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"Damn it all." Naruto cursed through clenched jaws, squeezing his eyes shut trying to ignore the pain. He hated the betraying tears that were threatening to overflow at the corners of his eyes.

Even though he was laying on the cold stone floor it didn't help one bit to cool down his already burning body. One after another the attacks he was receiving were taking their toll on him. He was starting to feel weak and tired, and he didn't want that. It started getting harder and harder not to resist closing his eyes and letting it all go.

Kyuubi's chakra wasn't helping as much as he wanted. Even though it was healing his wounds at a considerably fast rate it wasn't fast enough. Every time he'd became close to being fully healed one of the Pein's-mostly the biggest one-came in and gave his frequent torture. After they were done he'd feel just as crappy as he had been before. Not only that but some of the cuts they made were really deep and that took longer than was expected.

_What's the matter?_ He thought frantically, gently slamming his forehead to the floor. It didn't help in anyway, not that he expected it to. _I've healed from worse cuts than this and that was when I was just a genin! Those healed in a matter of minutes!_

Chain rattled as he moved stiffly into what he thought was the closest thing he could get to a sitting position. Crossing his legs were out of the question. For one thing they were so sore and stiff that he didn't think he could manage it and another thing was that the stupid chains he preventing him to do so even if he wanted.

Naruto openly winced as he felt one of his small cuts heal itself. All that was left was a smudge of blood that seemingly came from nowhere on his skin. If a little cut like that was already healed than that meant that it wouldn't be long till the others would be fully healed as well. Or till it came time for his next appointment with Mr. Pein.

As he waited he glanced around seeing if anything had changed. Even though the room was still dark he had adapted to it and had eventually gotten used to the dimness. Looking he saw nothing out of the ordinary, nothing that could conquer his nervousness.

Inside he laughed at himself. Naruto Uzumaki, Konoha's Number One Knuckle-Headed Unpredictable Ninja, supposed future 6th Hokage, scared? He'd been afraid of nothing when he was only a twelve-year old. Nothing and no one ever dared to frighten him. Now almost all grown up and he was afraid of a little rough housing?

_How sad can I become?_ He asked himself silently. The blonde knew the reason that he had to endure this pain. It was for the safety of his friends. And that itself was worth more than his life. That was the only reason he had to keep strong and fight back. _They_ were the only reason he had to survive.

Without warning, a cold gust of wind slammed into his face. It smelled of new surfaced dirt. Boy did he miss that smell.

Within a second passing a figure came in. Naruto knew who it was before they even fully entered. Their was no shock when the lead Pein came strolling in.

"So I see that you're awake." The orange haired man greeted simply. Like always he didn't look happy or angry whenever he was around Naruto. In fact he never really showed any emotion, and that itself made Naruto rather wary of him. "How, may I ask, are you feeling?"

Doing his best not to look as hurt as he felt Naruto shrugged. "I've been better." He said nonchalantly, taking the time to examine his nails. "So, how are things going out in the real world?" Though he was looking down at his hand he was entirely focused on the man in front of him.

At this Pein surprisingly smiled. "Our world is coming closer by each passing day."

The blonde frowned. This couldn't be. If their world was-as he said- getting closer than that means they must've gotten rid of the obstacles. There were many obstacles in their way such as the shortage of demons.

"Your world cannot be certain without all the nine-tailed demons, am I right?" The Pein in front of him looked at him with bored eyes, although his smile was still in place. Those two things didn't fit and it made him look eve creepier than he originally was. "If that's the case then why do you say your world is near? I certainly don't feel any other chakras nearby."

"This is where you are wrong , my little fox. I didn't say our world is near, I said it was coming closer each day. That doesn't truly mean that it's here. Besides, we'll get the tailed demons sooner or later."

"I highly doubt that." Naruto retorted, despite himself. As far as he knew, or rather remembered, none of the jinchuurik had been captured. He'd made sure of that. "You haven't managed to catch any of them yet, have you?"

The pierced man bent down and knelt right in front of him, staring at him with steely eyes. He was close enough that Naruto make out the smell of him and then wrinkled his nose in disgust. Pein had the scent of death and aging body all over him. It was overwhelming and disgusting.

"Listen closely, little fox, because you might want to remember this for future references. The only reason that the other little demon holders are still alive and well is because of you." Pein paused, not taking his eyes off of the blonde. He was trying to take in any sort of reaction. He got none. "Whenever you appeared they always managed to barely escape our grasp. We didn't know why this was so but after a while we slowly figured out the problem. It was you."

"Great to know that people care." Naruto said sarcastically. "No offense and all, but I could have told you that. It took you that long only to come to that conclusion? Wow, your pretty dumb."

"We are not… 'dumb', as you say. We knew that you were the problem, but we just didn't know how to deal with you." He paused and stared at Naruto with his rinnegan, which captivated Naruto's attention; not allowing him to look away. "Now we have a solution."

"Solution… Oh, how lovely. Do I get to be in on this secret?" He brought his chained hands up, which clanged together when he moved, and settled his chin on them. Appearing to be a boy listening attentively to his master. He waggled his eyebrows at the man in front of him with a mocking grin. "Please do inform me."

Pein seemed to recognize his attempt for information and his lips twitched once more upwards. Although Naruto kept his expression bored with a mocking edge to it the orange haired man saw through it. "No, I don't think so. You'll just have to wait and see like everyone else."

"That's not very fair." His fingers tapped lightly on his face, even the small movement made some noise with the chains.

"But you see this is my game so I don't necessarily have to play fair." With saying that he stood up quickly and padded backwards, never letting his gaze leave Naruto, toward the exit of the solitary room. After one finally stare he was absorbed into the darkness of the room. A breeze was cut off abruptly, notifying that Pein had indeed left.

Naruto sighed, glad that the man had left. He was to creepy for his standards, plainly said. And he had seen some crazy shit in his life. Seriously.

He looked up to the ceiling, wanting more than anything else to see the sky. To him it signaled freedom, something of which he didn't have at the moment. He hoped that it was near the morning, that's when it looked the most beautiful.

That was the only thing that was the same no matter where or when he was. Any place and time the sky never changed. Either it was a clear blue or a dark black, or maybe a mixture of colors, there was always a reason to look up at it.

_I don't know how longs it's been. I really hope it's near morning. You can sometimes see both the moon and the sun at the same time._ He sighed, once more wishing even more to see the outside, as well as other people. Sooner or later his sanity would be lost, and that was something he didn't want to happen. This imprisonment would be the death of him.

"Kyuubi, where are you?" Even though he showed emotions of dislike Naruto needed the demon here with him. He always got him out of things when situations got to deep, forced or not. For the first time in months he felt the emptiness he had before when he'd just realized he no longer had his tenant. The blonde decided that he didn't like this feeling, like half of him was missing. He could only imagine what the Kyuubi would say to his loneliness. He would call him a dirt eating wussy. That thought, oddly enough, comforted him.

In a small voice, so small that he couldn't hear it himself, he whispered. "I need you."

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"**Can we not waste time with your useless pestering of each other?" **The Kyuubi asked with irritation, on a branch above Sakura. **"Do I have to remind you again of the problem Naruto is in?"**

They had woken up in a strange place. Strange as in, they didn't know where the hell they were. Their whole surroundings were unfamiliar, with no one being able tell where they had landed. Not even Neji, who was a master at taking everything in with his Byakugan.

Then Sakura found her and the rest of the group a surprising encounter with some friends. Those friends being Konohamaru and Hanabi. The two ninja had been startled to find all of them there as well-that is herself, Sasuke, Kiba and Akamaru, Shino, Ino, TenTen, Chouji, and Sai.

To make it plain, everyone had almost wet themselves with the shock in seeing each other.

Both young ninjas had brought them all up to date quickly, making sure everything was explained. Everything about being in the past. The war not happening yet. Hinata at the village, fine and well, to her teams immediate relief. The Kyuubi not attacking and killing half the village. Naruto being in the past as well, now being kidnapped. The Kyuubi no Kitsune actually having a physical body and being Naruto's "pet". All of it was a jumbled mess in Sakura's mind, her brain cramming down hard and working overtime to process it without making her head explode.

Many headaches passed before everyone understood what to do-what had to be done. They had to save Naruto.

He had gotten himself into a mess(again), and it was up to them to get him out of it. Just like old times. Sakura knew that Naruto never liked to be saved, showing weakness. If he couldn't save himself how could he save his important people when the time needed.

The explaining had taken quite some time. It had taken even more time for everyone to get it into their brains. Time traveling was a big thing and if your mind didn't explode with the concept then you can call it a success.

Sakura thought about old times._ It's feels like you were just on one of your pranks, serious but funny, and getting caught by the ANBU._ Despite herself she gave a small smile, one that couldn't be seen easily.

"Stupid idiot." Kiba muttered, a look of annoyance crossing his face. He got up from his seat and started walking around, his hands in claws pretending to aim at something. "Always getting into trouble. When I see him I'll whack him till he bleeds." Akamaru barked in agreement, his voice deep and loud.

Shino stood there next to his teammate, his stillness more defined by the dog-boy. He grabbed Kiba on the shoulder, nearly knocking his friend backwards with his suddenness. "Hold it Kiba. First we have to actually get to him first. Don't go rushing into things or you'll be the damsel in distress."

Kiba bristled, eyebrows set in a scowl. Before he could reply with a comeback to get his dignity back the forest started shaking with an unknown force.

Sakura felt the power, pure and raw chakra instantly, coming from a mile or two away.

Ino squealed, falling off the rock she was sitting on, landing on her butt. The power had surprised her, as well as the soft gust of air that suddenly came rushing at them quietly yet profoundly. "Wha-!"

Without saying anything Sai walked to her, his hand out and helped her to her feet, his smile in place like always. The same mask of emotionless set on his face, he himself not effected by the surprise. " I believe your friend is signaling." He said to the group, his eyes in the shape of U's.

"Thank you Sai." Ino stammered her face red with embarrassment. She turned her face away from the pale man, not wanting to meet his eye. For some reason Sakura found this a little bit funny, as well as adorable.

_Aw, Ino… _The pink-haired ninja easily knew what was going on. _It's gonna be hard tryin' to hide this._

Glancing to her right quickly she spoke aloud, her cute thoughts pushed aside for now. "Ino, can you look ahead and see if you can see anything that we might encounter?"

Ino, seemed glad to do something, She didn't even seem to care that Sakura was the one who asked, normally she would argue aimlessly. Quickly she sat down on the grass, not at all minding if her skirt went up more than it should. Closing her eyes she made the appropriate signs and said, **"Shintenshin no jutsu."**

There seemed to be no difference but the body that belonged to the blonde woman slumped down as if the energy was drained out of it. Just as the body was going to hit the dirt ground Sai's hand shot out and caught it.

Shikamaru took this time to speak up. "Okay, we need to think logically about how we'll take action. Since we all know that that shock was, of course, Naruto." He looked around the group around him, who in return nodded, understanding. "We could do this the formal way-"

"-but we won't. We're in the past, we can do whatever the hell we want!" Kiba interrupted, pumping his fist into the air, Akamaru in tail wagging in agreement.

Lee beamed, his teeth sparkling. It was almost as if he could blind you with it. It certainly was blinding Sakura effectively. "YOSH! THE FIRE OF YOUTH IS MOST WITH YOU KIBA, MY FELLOW COMRADE!" Tenten and Neji just shook their heads in unison at their team member. Their faces blank while looking at Lee and his exhilaration. This movement looked almost practiced, making Sakura stifle a giggle. "WE WILL MOST DEFINETELY SAVE OUR LONG LOST FRIEND!"

Konohamaru and Hanabi stared at him, not at all missing his good guy attitude, their eyes twitching. It seemed to be too much for them. Even as they, along with Sakura, watched the thick eye-browed fellow strike his pose.

"Okay… So what's the plan?" Hanabi asked, cocking her head to the side, eyes on Shikamaru.

"Yes, I would also like to hear it." Neji said, on the same page as his cousin, trying to ignore Lee's continuous ranting about how he was full of 'youth.'

"There isn't really a way to create a strategy without knowing your surroundings. Pretty troublesome, so-"

"There's a cliff a mile from here where the forest ends, dropping straight down into open plains." Ino said, getting up, wiping her skirt. Sai let go of her, his help no longer needed. He looked emotionless as ever, but Ino face said something else. She continued on with what she was saying, "Also, there are Sound nin surrounding the perimeter of an area, jounin at least. From the small glimpses of what I saw the Akatsuki's lair is underground."

Shikamaru took this to account, thinking hard. Through force of habit he closed his eyes, head down, with his hands forming a diamond shape. After a moment, "Hmm… Being underground makes it much more difficult to get Naruto out of there but my original plan can still go through, though small tweaks must be made." He motioned everyone. "Okay guys, gather around. That also means you too Lee."

Sakura walked closer, her curiosity rising for what the lazy ninja had in mind. She saw him glance up and look pointedly at the spot next to him. She looked up in time to see a flash of red fur come down at the exact location that was pointed to. She had a jolt of surprise as she remembered the Kyuubi. It was even more surprising that the fox was obedient enough to listen to Shikarmaru's directions. Maybe Naruto had trained it and conquered its power.

What it did next made those thoughts disappear. Coming down it bit the lazy ninja on the hand and growled.

"**Never tell me what to do you lazy son of a bitch."** He sat down on the ground and looked at them like they were dirt. **"What does your puny mind have to offer as a plan? I probably could make a better one but I'm not in the mood."**

Shaking the now bruised hand Shikamaru gave the small animal a calculating look. Which the Kyuubi returned with a cold one, sending shills down Sakura's spine; unlike Shikamaru she would have looked away instantly.

"How good are you with distractions?"

"**The best in the fucking business."** Was the snobbish remark. **"That knuckle headed idiot had done nothing devious compared to me."**

Sasuke smirked at that information. "I bet Naruto would disagree."

"**I doubt so."** The ball of fur growled as he closed his cold eyes. When suddenly there was a burst of chakra and russet colored smoke surrounded him, blinding everyone in the process. It took a while for it to clear and what the pink haired kunoichi say made her eyes widen.

There in front of her was a tall man with bright yellow hair with red tips that wildly spiked in all different directions. An open red coat with a tall collar swayed slightly with the breeze. The garments underneath were completely black, enhancing the coats color further than it already was. Around his neck was a black collar with small spikes trailing all around. Dangling from it was a silver pendent of Konoha's symbol and a tag of ownership, which made a soft _cling_ as they hit each other. Rather dark, rough, defined whisker marks were the first thing that caught the attention when looking at the face; next being the now open blood red eyes. Spreading his powerful tan arms out, as if welcoming them into an embrace, the face smiled evilly at them.

"**You need a distraction, well you got one." **The smiled widened, showing sharp canine teeth. **"But can you handle the ALMGIHTY KYUUBI NO KISTUNE!"**

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Naruto panted heavily. Sending a doubled in usual size rasengan while being chained with chakra sealing chains was very tiring. To say in the least. Also adding to the fact was that he was immensely hungry, thirsty, and tired to begin with.

He was not going to wait to be rescued, to be a burden to his friends once again. As soon as the door to the dark room opened that day, at least he thought it was the next day, he had sent a blast of chakra out. The chains absorbed a major amount of it and some of it was even sent back to him in shocking waves, but he kept pushing it. Pushing as much chakra as he could and soon he was adding the Kyuubi's chakra too it. It's demonic additive was dangerous to everything it touched, even Naruto himself sometimes. He could feel the chains growing hot with the power and found himself pushing harder and harder.

The blonde saw Pein hesitate before coming closer. As he slowly walked closer he raised one of his hands, his mouth opening to say something.

Before he could Naruto snarled with effort and released the biggest wave of power, both his and the Kybbui's, that he could muster at that moment.

"ARGH!" The power was so much that it collided with Pein's attack, who had just barely said, **"Shinra Tensei: Seiatsu."**

With saying that, Naruto was pushed backwards along with some of his attack. A pain shot through him as he was sent crashing into a wall that soon collapsed with the force.

A few seconds and everything was done. All was quiet as the smoke started to settle. The blonde opened his eyes to look at the haze floating around him and felt the weight of rubble on him. With a few grunts he pushed it off him and staggered to stand, mildly noticing with relief that the main part of the chains had broken off. Taking a breath to clear his head, which lead to a hoarse coughing fit from all the dust coming into his lungs, he looked around at the once dark and mysterious room.

Ignoring his shaking limbs he stepped over the stones that were scattered around him, taking care not to harm himself even further. A broken ankle would worsen his situation even more than it already was.

Through the smoke he could see nothing, only the dark shapes of objects close by(ten feet the most). The outlines of bigger rocks than those around him were the only things in his vision.

There wasn't a sound to be h-

"**Bansho Ten'in."**

The air gushed out of him as his body was pulled forward without unknown power. In an instant, a giant pile of rocks were blown from their places to reveal the emotionless face of Pein. His Rinnegan eyes were zeroed in on Naruto, blinking slowly as he shook his head in what seemed like disappointment.

"Foolish. Did you really think that would kill me?" Pein asked in a monotone.

"No, not really…" He said looking down at the ground. Smoke still floated around them from the explosion. His ears still even rang a little from the sound joined the blast. His lips turned up in a humorless smile. "But it might have caught someone's attention. Showing our location to anyone nearby."

Pein's face didn't change at all as Naruto said this, or when a few Sound nin landed around the wreckage, or when the other Peins joined him. This one was the only bald one, as well as the one from before who enjoyed hurting the blonde. He just started at Naruto with emotionless eyes. The silence was shattered from one of the Sound nin.

"Do you want us to attack sir?"

Without even glancing at the man he replied, "No, he is to valuable to kill."

The tall muscular one that had punched him earlier in times had the same neutral face as the leader did then switched to a happier evil smile. Naruto's eyes widened slightly as he saw it; his face literally switched emotions. His head turning to the left far too much until it showed an entirely new face. This man was not normal to say in the least, nor human in that matter. "Not valuable enough to-"

His sentenced was stopped with a mighty roar. The air seemed to shiver, the ground quaking a little under their feet.

It was soon followed by a blast of fiery light that was coming towards them at an alarming rate. An epic boom came to their ears a split second later along with another throaty roar. This time Naruto was able to piece a little of what was being said in the unearthly yell.

He could just hear it now…

"**NARUTO, YOU STUPID PIECE OF SHIT! COME OUT NOW SO I CAN BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF YOU!"**

The group of Sound ninjas looked around with fear filled eyes and shuffled in their stances. All of them took out some sort of weapon to fend off a an enemy. Naruto smiled with the knowledge that those items won't work against a peeved Kyuubi.

"Seems like your secret lair isn't so secret anymore." He told the Peins with a smug smile. He didn't receive a smile back from any of the Peins.

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___Suiton-Bakusushouha = Water Style: Exploding Water Sock Wave_

_~Shintenshin no jutsu = Mind Body Change Technique_

_~Shinra Tensei: Seiatsu = Heavenly Subjugation of the Omnipresent God(Almighty Push)_

_~Bansho Ten'in = Heavenly Attraction of All of Creation(Universal Pull)_

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**Author's comments:**

**M: Okay, sorry people if you were all watin' for this. It took us a long time to post this up, or even finish the damn chapter.**

**N: We had a small case of writers block.**

**M: Scratch that-a big case.**

**N: It didn't help that our dear laptop, Shelah, was taken away by horrid people.**

**M: We are still mourning.**

**N: Anyway, we're stuck with no laptop just an old five-year old desktop.**

**M: Love 'ya Gare! 3 (He's our deceased laptop)**

**N: Now that summers here we can spend more time workin' on our chapters. Sha-boom-ta-dow!**

**M: P.S. Are you people wondering why there are so many Sound nin around the evil guys?**

**N: Well! Because we needed some minions and they were the first to come in mind!**

**M: So there! We're going to go work on the next chapter!**

**N: And remember! "WE DO THIS FOR YOU!"**

**M: Yeah, so review!**


	17. Chapter 17

The Kyuubi just loved the sound of terror and killing. They went well hand in hand. The sight of pure fright in a person's eyes, hearing the loud _thud_ that came when a body fell to the ground once killed, and feeling that last breathe escape their lips before they became unresponsive gave him chills. He enjoyed it to no end. The obliteration that came with it was like art; nature looked better to him broken.

Though he mused about the destruction set out, he knew that he had to search for a certain blonde. Even though he yearned to continue what he was doing he had a duty. Even if that duty was to a loudmouth, hyper, annoying, knuckleheaded ninja

Kami, he hoped that brat had a real good reason for getting himself capture or the demon was about to go all monster on his ass. Kyuubi hated when he had to do nice things for others, which also counted for his master.

He grinned wickedly. If a few more humans, say a little less than a hundred, were to be killed on his way to Kit then it wasn't his fault. They were stupid enough to go up against him, thinking that they might have a microscopic chance that they could beat him, let alone live. And that chance wasn't even microscopic. Try nonexistent. There were millions of these so-called ninja, every single one of them outwitting luck was too stupid to even think.

They would all die. He'd make sure of that.

**"Don't even think it." **He growled, turning to the fool who tried to sneak up behind him. All that the human had to protect himself was a simple sharp metal. Pathetic. That, and one or two other fools to back him up. Even more pathetic. It wasn't pathetic, more like insulting.

Before any of them could utter a word, the nearest one had the great honor of having a hand shoved through his chest, grabbing his still beating heart. The man let out a pained gasp, his body starting to tremble, his face blanched. Yanking his arm out Kyuubi gave a woman in front of him a large smile, offering her the dead man's bloodied organ. Blood was already starting to drip down from between his fingers.

Without knowing it she let out a high scream. _**So much for discipline,**_ Kyuubi thought, cutting her off by tossing the heart at her. She caught it, a look of repulsion etched on her face, staring at him like he was something from her nightmares.

She wished he was from her nightmares.

Her and the rest of the fools were killed, without much thought really. Their blood was identical to those before them, as well as those who were yet to be shed, like their now nonexistent children and grandchildren. It pitied him that they were so weak, not a real opponent to him.

Kyuubi laughed at the pathetic humans as they screamed. Though his roar blotted out most of their voices, with his super hearing he could easily hear it all. High and low-pitched came from individual ninjas, both men and women.

Even after years of killing and murders he still couldn't believe how much they bled. The red liquid poured from one of the poor soul's wound in the gut, the color staining his clothes. It was a bright contradiction against the paleness of his skin, which seemed to be drained of life. Which, in fact, it was. Looking down the man had enough time to see a few of his inner intestines fall out in a bloody heap before the demon ended his life.

Stupid. He thought, slashing at another ninja, watching both halves fall to the floor. The look of surprise was still on her face, as well as fear, just like all his other kills. He dealt with four others in the same manner not bothering to be more creative than that.

The demon looked around. The others were beginning to be cautious. Well, more cautious than they were to begin with. Or scared, he didn't remember how to differ the two emotions on human faces. It had been so long that he didn't really care. His ferocious roar that he let out, his demonic chakra ripping them to shreds, layer by layer, blasted more of them.

Glancing this way and that, his slitted eyes darting, he searched the destructed field. It was in shreds, the grass wiped out from the ground itself, leaving only dirt. Rocks and boulders alike were tumbled out of their original places, either crushed or fractured. Beneath some of them laid crushed bodies that just weren't quick enough during life. Clouds of dust floated close to the earth, allowing no one to see passed ten feet. Kyuubi was slightly surprised that there was anything left standing, much less in tact. That just showed how much he was holding back.

Kyuubi bunched his legs, his muscles tensing, and launched himself into the air, sending even more debris into the air. He flew near around thirty feet above the ground, and approximately fifty feet to the right from his original spot. He left all the humans behind him, staring up at him with terrified and awed expressions.

Kyuubi sighed as he cleared onto the ground, taking most of the impact with the bending of his knees. Immediately he started running on all fours quickly and set off to where he knew Kit would surely be. Along with some unsuspecting victims.

…

BAM!

Naruto was blown backwards, the air knocked out of him. He crashed into a pile of rocks, making his impact harder than needed. Looking out form the wreckage he saw the girl Pein making strides toward him with that creepy smile on her face.

He quickly got up and rushed forward, meeting her halfway, ducking under her arm as it aimed for his head. While she went all in with the attack he used that moment to knock her off balance, kicking her feet from under her. She fell back, but in the last second twisted her body so that she caught herself. Palms pushing up on the ground she slammed her foot to the side of his head. His head snapped to one side as he body was sent a good five feet away.

Naruto winced as he stumble back, gingerly touching the spot were she'd hit, feeling something warm. He knew it was blood.

_Damn, I can't take as much as I'd like._ He was weak, that he knew, and he couldn't afford to take on much damage. Smearing his fingers on his already stained pants, he quickly lunged forward and pounded his fist to the ground, adding a tad of demonic chakra.

The ground exploded underneath the girl Pein, knocking her back, to Naruto's delight. He wasn't offered a minute of satisfaction though as he saw that she immediately got to her feet. Suddenly, two black rods were produced from her sleeves, one in each hand.

She came at the blonde, slashing every direction, trying to cut any part of him. Naruto could only dodge as fast and as quick as he was able to. He was fast, but so was she.

The girl Pein twirled the rod in her left and tossed it into the air. Naruto mistakenly took the moment to follow it with his eyes, out of instinct. While he was occupied for the second, a weight was lunged into him. His eyes caught the movement of a black stick that was being swung in an extreme arc in his direction.

Naruto yelped, jumping back at the last millisecond, landing on his rump. He stared wide eyes, catching the fact that the rod was imbedded into the ground, right between his legs.

He rolled back in a summersault, and then proceeded to tackle the Pein to the ground.

Conjuring his chakra and compacting in specific areas: his palms, along his spine, and the area around his shoulder blades. He slowly let it loose, letting the demonic chakra spread over him. In a matter of seconds he had two large, chakra-concentrated claws extending past his own.

Naruto smashed his 'hands' down at the Pein, forcing her body into the ground. He had the pleasure of beating her till the ground crumbled.

About to send a harsh punch at her face once more he stopped, feeling a presence come from behind him. Turning, he had enough time to dodge, as another black rod was swung down at the point where he was not a second before.

His chakra hands flickered, and then dispersed, his concentration broken. It was another Pein; this one had long orange hair, and a diagonal piercing on its nose, as well as two studs on each side of his face in a vertical row. He took that all in as the Pein lunged at him, a rod narrowly missing his face, while the other came precariously close to his backside.

Naruto glanced behind him, then at the new Pein in front of him. "How many are there of you guys? Also, how the hell do you guys tell each other apart? Do you have names? That'd be swell if you did." He asked all these questions in a rush, having to finish the sentence while the Pein slashed at him. When the rod came at him again, the blonde leaned back and then, before the Pein swung it, made a grab at the weapon.

The Pein kept his hold on the rod with a death grip, not allowing Naruto to rip it out of his hands. Instead the orange haired man threw the other rod he had in his other hand off somewhere and made a grab toward the blonde's head, plainly intending to do something. Naruto jerked his head back and, slapping the incoming hand back, and proceeded to flip the Pein over. When the Pein was about to hit the floor Naruto sent a hard punch to his stomach.

The Pain's head snapped up and looked intently at Naruto but the blonde noticed something. His eyes had a somewhat distance look to them. The rinnegan was there but yet not necessarily there, if that was logically possible. His lips moved to form slurred words. Naruto grinned at this; it sounded like the attack had somehow damages his jaw, immobilizing his speech.

"I am Human Path."

A throaty roar interrupted him. Turning his head he caught sight of what looked like a giant rhino. The horn upon its muzzle was big and sharp… and apparently wanted to get to now Naruto. One enormous stud was implanted in the middle of its forehead and the rinnegan shined within its eyes.

"And I am Animal Path." said a small voice that came from the demon girl (he had the right to call her that) attacking him earlier.

It was close enough in its charge that he smelled its terrible breath. Throwing himself to the side he could feel the breath pushing against his face. The smell was even worse up close.

"Dude, seriously, breath mint."

All of them came at him. Wondering why he wasted time and energy talking he pushed himself in the direction where there weren't any people trying to kill him, only way being up.

The feeling of being weightless filled his whole body and for a second he actually enjoyed something. Then everything came crashing down. Literally.

_What th-_

A thing with six arms fell on him from open air above. His body collided with the earth and not a second later the figure was on him. It's saw-like tail cutting him across the chest with burning wrath. A happy smile looked at him from above as three fists simultaneously rushed at him. His body dug deeper and deeper into the earth's embrace.

When the beating paused he went to action, sticking his foot out and connecting it with the things face. During its trip in the arm Naruto saw its face concave within itself, which made him grin in delight. It was soon wiped off his face though.

When the thing, it could only be a Path with its rinnegan and its studs, stood back up it changes faces; something of which that Naruto forgot it could do. Accurately turning its head to the side until a new arresting face came into place; it was being one of anger. The large piercing on its chin making the snarl even grosser.

Before he could even think of an attack to do an epic wave of sound hit him full on. His head snapped in the direction of the origin of sound even though his ears protested greatly. What he saw was two huge shapes stomping toward him with a large bird-thing flying overhead. It was the rhino and he brought some of his friends. Some ugly friends he might add. The bird-thing looked as if it was made from dried boogers. The last animal (they looked sorta like animals…) was an ox with a really thick brow, with two big studs sticking out of it. The two animals that were grounded split up, taking positions on opposite sides of him ready to charge. They snorted while pawing the ground with irritation. The thing above him cawed with blood list, a small tongue slithering out of its barf colored beak. They stayed in place for the time being, waiting for the command by their master, and voiced their distaste for him. Loudly.

But not loud enough. He could still hear the roars of a certain fox demon. And he couldn't help but feel a little pride when he heard the yells. That was his bitchy, little murderous demon.

All the time he spent observing this the Paths were attacking him, trying to get him when he was distracted. The only one not attacking him at the moment was the demon girl- Animal Path- along with the main Pain. Currently the they were standing in the far distance behind the rhino watching the fight with safety.

"Asura Path will teach you a lessen" The angry face screamed as it lodged its tail in his left calf. The blonde bit back a scream of his own as he grabbed the sharp thing with his bare hands and pulled it out with extreme effort, as well as with an enormous amount of chakra. The thing shattered into numerous pieces. One lodged itself in one of the Pein's eyes; it was the one with the freaky eyes. The sharp iron didn't seem to do much good in the eyes, the thing was bleeding like no tomorrow. Technically that was true since there would be no tomorrow for it.

Before any one of them could make a move he grabbed the saw-tail that had magically grown back to the Asura Path and pulled it free of the body. He swung it in a deadly arc toward the Human Path as it extended its hand out. It landed in its flesh with a ringing _thud_. It froze right before him, its expression neutral as it gazed at him. Soon gravity took its place and the body fell forward. The long orange hair traveling behind him like a long, brightly colored cloak.

Naruto felt a sudden pain in his lower back and turned halfway around, wincing, only to see a large rod within his own flesh. Moving backwards, his body instinctively pushing itself away from the danger, he collided with the Pain's corpse. The outreached hand lightly tapped him on the head.

Which was enough.

The Uzumaki gasped as life seemed to pass before his eyes. Everything he had done, everything he had saw, everything he had felt, and everything he had thought felt like it was passing through him.

Then as suddenly as it was there it was gone. Broken. Strangely he felt violated.

Taking a short glance at the Pein lying on the floor Naruto wondered what had happened. He then turned his eyes to the Pein's all around him, their air seemingly mutual.

Naruto was confused and suddenly tired at the same time. The feeling of reliving his life, his movements had taken a lot out of him. It was like he'd run nonstop around the world. His muscles screamed in protest when he stood, his body shaking chronically.

"Do I get to know what happened there?" The blonde asked the main Pein.

"Human Path did its duty." Main Pein said, then motioning toward Naruto, his eyes, like usual, betraying no emotion. "Precede with the capture." He stated simply. He turned around and then pointed at the destroyed Pein behind him. A new Pein came into view; this one having three spikes through each ear, sort of like a porcupine. "Naraka Path, heal Human Path so it may continue fighting."

And just like that everything was chaos again. The ground rumbled as the monsters charged and flew at him, bellowing. Animal Path produced another pair of rods, launching herself toward him. Another unnamable Pein came his way, only attacking with bare hands. That didn't spell 'good' for Naruto if he was the same as Human Path. The only comfort was that Human Path was out, Asura Path didn't have a saw anymore, and that Naraka Path didn't looked like he was going to fight.

The first of his attackers that got to him was the rhino and ox, their hoof pounding down on the round, trying to turn him into pulp. The rhino swung its head back and forth, up and down, hoping to fling him back and break some valuable bones. Both of the monsters even bit at him, missing only by inches or so.

Naruto fell to one side, avoiding a hoof, and had to dive the moment he got to his feet so that a horn didn't rake him. He wasn't quick enough to get away as the bird creature dived at him, it's talons open and ready to claw him. Though it missed him and embedded it's sharp points into the ground, it's beak flashed. In a blurred motion it slashed at him, leaving a thin and shallow cut along his arm.

"Shit." He managed the word out before a fist connected with his stomach and knocked him back, gladly, away from the giant killing machines. He landed with a _thud_ and some _clinks_. He had landed in a pile of chains, the ones that had immobilized him before. Without having to turn around he new that the Pein who had punched him was coming forward again. He could feel his chakra coming closer.

He hastily snatched for the chain, to make it a weapon that he could use to his advantage. With no hesitation he swung it around, guessing on whether or not he'd hit his target.

It wrapped around the Pein's neck securely. The Pein looked at the chain around his neck, well, as much as he could. His orange hair, unlike the others, was tied in a simple, tight ponytail. There were vertical studs on his nose, smaller studs along his cheek, and a black rod going through his ears. Other than that he looked like the others, besides the fact that he was a little bit on the thicker side.

This Pein didn't seem to want to talk, but it did make a 'What-Do-You-Plan-On-Doing-With-That-Really?' sign in the waggle of its eyebrow. In reply Naruto wrapped the end part of the chain around his clenched fist in a tight grip. Kicking the Pein away he suddenly pulled on the chain, stopping the man in mid-flight, rushing towards him. He quickly rolled safely out of the way causing the Pein to run into the wall.

Naruto got to his feet, and, leaning back a bit, threw his weight into his throw, forcing the Pein at the end to be pulled again. He was slightly surprised that the Pein wasn't choked to death yet, but he put that thought to the side, focusing on now.

He slammed the Pein into a rock, enjoying the satisfaction of watching the rock crack. Before the Pein could move he swung it harder into any other hard surface he could find, which wasn't much anymore. Noticing that Animal Path was coming closer, trying to be silent and unseen, he slammed the Pein into her. When they landed from the crash it was a mess of limps, the two bodies tangled and unresponsive.

He smiled grimly, finally seeing two more of the Pein's down. He focused on the six-armed one, dodging its arms. The Pein, or Asura Path as he remembered from what the main Pein had said, came in a fury.

He paid no attention to any of the grumbling and snaps that he heard from every direction, only having the time to focus on the flying fists. As one came past his head, Naruto used his palm to force the arm up, breaking it in half, right at the elbow. He did the same to two more arms, thus limiting them to a total of three.

Asura Path took no notice at that fact that he'd lost some limbs; in fact he didn't take notice of anything but Naruto. That is, not until a roar interrupted their fight. Literally.

The giant ox came pounding at them; it's hoofs crushing things in its path, including Asura Path. The android had that unfortunate fate of being in the place where the roof came down. Naruto on the other hand was lucky, a hoof just missing him, only shaking the ground as an earthquake would.

A crazy idea springing in his head Naruto quickly jumped as high as he could at that moment, and, before the ox noticed, scrambled up its thick, unruly hair. He wrinkled his nose, not able to fully take in the smell of dust, grime, and other dirty components. Though it smelled, the hair itself was easy to hold on to, allowing him to be settled on the back of it's neck in a matter of seconds, a minute at most.

Once there he saw that the ox was just stomping in circles mindless, the rhino and bird in similar aimless patterns. It seemed that without their summoner to give orders they didn't know what else to do. The rhino just went into a circle that intersected the ox's, while the bird dived between them every so often. All three met at the middle for a total of ten seconds or so.

Naruto knew that if Animal Path was here she'd see this and know that immediately that her summons were clearly easy targets. In those ten seconds they were vulnerable and could be taken out of the picture with one attack, one that would hit all three.

The blonde grinned. _Too easy. _Waiting for the point, he hastily jumped up away from the ox, plainly avoiding the bulk of the horn that would hurt if hit straight on. He gathered some chakra into the palm of his hands. It swirled into the form of a sphere, glowing bright blue with tiny slivers of red flashing. The air around the ball of energy was spinning inward and sucked into the thing. It looked both dangerous and beautiful.

Wild strands on blonde hair were blown into random directions as the Naruto grabbed his hand with another as if to hold it steady.

**"Rasenga!"**

He came down with quick precision. The beasts didn't know what was coming when the rasenga made contact with them. The ox could barely utter a single 'moo' before it was obliterated by power's essence, the rest of the beast following in the ox's pursuit. It was so strong that once the sphere made a connection Naruto was blown backwards.

However just his luck would have it that he was blown right into two Pains. Demon girl and Mr. I-Have-A-Chain-Around-My-Neck to be accurate. The guy one grabbed Naruto's arm without second to waste and said calmly, "I am Preta Path, now be still."

"Why the hell would I listen to you, you egg-sucker?" He seized the arm that had a hold of him and intended to break the damn thing. Well, that was what he intended. Usually things didn't go as plan and this was no exception.

All the energy and power drained out of him.

Just like that.

Gone.

Well, to be more exact all of his chakra was taken away. Stolen away.

The knees that were bent in a position to issue instant movement when needed buckled. He fell to the floor with a big _thump_ with his hand still being held by the Preta Path.

Animal Path didn't waste the moment. She stabbed a rod through his leg in case he had any ideas of running. Like that was an option. The second rod went right in the middle of his chest. He was so numb that he hardly felt it penetrate his skin and muscle. He knew this kind of wound. It wouldn't kill him if it stayed in, but once it was pulled out there would be nothing to stop the blood from pouring out. Plus to take in consideration the demon part of him, it probably was already starting the process of healing. If it healed right was a chance all by itself. This kind of wound would be the kind that never healed completely, but would pain him for the rest of his life. That is if he lived longer than today.

"Heh… look… at this. I… got some st…uds. Just like….. you guys. But…. I make… it loo…ook gooood." His breathing was getting more labored and it hurt. A lot.

They regarded him with blank eyes, nothing sparkling behind those faces, no emotion.

He smiled at them, unnerved. "At… lea..st…I go-t.. somme….offf…you ..ds."

The Animal Path skipped to the side a few paces and he was given the sight to see the giant face-thing that had been called from the ground opening its mouth. Its tongue was wrapped around something. He narrowed his eyes when he saw the thing pick itself off the ground where the thing had laid it done. The thing wiped the nonexistent dirt from its cloak and walked over to them with slow steps.

The long hair that swayed at its back when it walked was a dead give away when he sighted the peircings on its face. It was the Human Path. The one he was sure he had killed. He had thrown a freakin' saw through it!

It came right up to him, looked down its nose at him with cold eyes, and coming right up to him, lifted him, all the while somehow able to keep the rods embedded in his body. To his surprise the Pein held him up so that he wouldn't fall to the ground once support ceased,

And then he kicked him right in the gut.

Hard.

It obviously had chakra to supply the power and force, which made it all the more painful.

_Fucking Pein._

Naruto was sent sprawling backwards by the mind reading monstrosity. The ride had pushed the rod further into his throbbing body before he finally crashed a large pile of rocks, further pushing it deeper. He was numb with pain, feeling some liquid flow down his back, soaked up by his shirt. Some of his skin was completely scraped off, leaving it raw, on one of his shoulder blades. Telling so by the burning sensation he got when it even touched the fabric of his clothing, which was hanging together by thin threads.

He looked up groggily to see numerous forms walking toward him with calm paces. He struggled to get up but his injuries just sent him back to the ground; a black rod also helping his fall as it was thrown at him. Catching him in his side and immobilizing him to the floor, again as if he could do anything in the first place. He heard a rather large _crack_ from inside him. That didn't sound good, nor did it feel any better.

His head slumped down for a moment as pain sparked throughout his body. It was brought back up just to see another rod being thrown his way.

The rod looked as if it was traveling in slow motion toward Naruto. It also looked like it was shaking. Or was it him? A drip of blood came out from his nose; he could feel it as it slid down to his mouth, as he frowned. No, he wasn't shaking. He would never show the outside world how damaged he was on the inside; this he decided long ago. It was the floor beneath him. Rumbling with fury the ground near the middle of the area was being push up. Within seconds the ground erupted as two fast, spinning objects were shot out of the earth.

They were silver colored and swirling around the area, hitting any Peins it could lay its invisible eyes on. A flash of green came from within the hole produced by the tornadoes screaming.

"YOUTH WILL PREVAIL!"

"Oh shut up already!" A gruff growl came from his left. His eyes focused in on two figures. Both of who were on all fours. The bigger of the two was a large white dog with brown markings on him, snarling fiercely. The other was human, but still had the same madness of the canine. His messy brown hair hung somewhat in his eyes as his slitted eyes looked at the enemy with cold calculation. His lips were drawn downwards in a deep snarl. His hands carried long, sharp nails that twitched as he swayed in his crouch.

"Ki..ba?" The name came out of his lips as a low whisper. He was reminded of the dog-like man's excellent senses, including hearing, as his head snapped in his direction. All the anger he had had vanished as he watched Naruto with large eyes. The dog at his side whined at his master. Naruto grinned with a flinch; the movement of his lips hurting like a bitch. His mouth opened beside the pain, "Oh… hey, it-t's Aka-amar…ru too. He… sure did… gro-row a l…lot."

It took him a while to pronounce the whole sentence with his heavy breathing. He could feel one of his ribs jabbing his lung every time he tried to breathe. The giant rod in the middle of his chest stuck out in an odd angle with both dried and new blood covering it. His arms were slumped on either side of him, unable to move even the tiniest of movements.

"N-Naruto?" The voice sounded broken and it definitely didn't come from the dog-nin. The blonde turned his head to the side as best as he could with a long, labored breathe. Another painful poke in the ribs was what he was rewarded with.

The green spandex he was wearing blinded Naruto for a second and his vision wavered again. _Damn._ His hair was cut straight above his eyebrows, revealing their bushy-ness, all around his head. White bandages were wrapped around his arms, just like the remains of what use to be Naruto's bandages, and a chunin jacket over it. His height was obviously taller, even taller at Naruto's viewpoint on the ground.

"Yo… Bushy… Brows." He willed himself not to stutter at any point and was pleased to find that he didn't. He couldn't help the space between each word though. His effort and the power it took just to grin broader at the man had pushed his body against the wall of its limit. Blood trickled out of his mouth and down his chin, but still he smiled. "L-long ti…me… nooo... see… Hehh…"

None of the Peins wasted time during this heartfelt reunion. Even while they were talking the black coated figures launched themselves at the newcomers. Preta Path had attacked Lee with his fists flashing in fast motion. Lee had dodged immediately and was soon sending his own attacks at the man way. Momentarily the Pein looked stronger and Lee faster but Naruto knew that the first was a lie. He had seen Lee in the first Chunin Exams. It was only a matter of time before the big oaf was history.

Kiba had taken Human Path as his opponent, who had his hand extended straight in front of him. Nauro wanted to shout out to Kiba to watch out but it wasn't needed. The dog nin sensed the urgency to stay away from the man's touch, both him an Akamaru, who had taken Kiba's shape without the blonde noticing, leaping from place to place all around the Pein. Randomly they would jump in unexpectedly and attack viciously before jumping back again.

He tried to keep his eyes focused and on the fight but found them drifting into another direction. What he did see was the large boulder coming his way from Kami knows where.

The large mass was shattered as an unearthly force crashed into it. Shattered snippets of rock were blown into every direction, including his. They cut his cheek with uncanny accuracy. One particularly large piece crashed sidelong into the rod that was currently sticking out of. An explosion of pain was sent out as the metal pushed itself sideways, taking more flesh along with it.

The scream that flew from his lips was met with a cruel laugh. It belonged to a mouth with perfect white teeth with razor sharp looking ends. The nose that centered itself above it was wrinkled with malicious. His strong chin was butted out in a somewhat stubborn and amused fashion.

The eyes gave him away. They were almond shaped and had the color of the blood that was currently pouring out of him.

The Kyuubi no Kitsune, Lord of Chaos, lunged forward and got right in Naruto's face. His strong, muscled arms were on either side of the injured blonde. The cruel laugh stopped abruptly as those red eyes caught sight of the state he was in.

**"Look at you. Completely pathetic. Can't even save your own ass. I gotta come down and do it for you." **He growled while shaking his head ever so slightly. The tags around his neck clanged sharply when they connected to the spikes on the collar. The spikes looking pretty impressive and sharp from Naruto's view of them, a mere inch from his eye.

The Uzumaki tried to speak but found he couldn't, in fact he couldn't- no, didn't want, to do anything. Without thought his eyes started to close, shutting out the view of the crazy fox demon in front of him. The shoulders that had been hunched together in constant pain started to slump.

**"Oh hell, don't you dare die when I'm talking to you."** He numbly felt something poke him in his bleeding chest; a finger thrust his way angrily.

**"Do you hear me? If you die I swear I will kill you! I will make it physically possible to kill you once your dead! Don't even doubt me! I, the Kyuubi no Kitsune, Lord of Chaos, will carry out with this threat! No, not a threat, a promise! Don't fuck with me, ya' MeatBag!" **The last sentences were spoken at a fast rate, almost to fast for the Naruto's brain to comprehend, as if he wanted to get everything said before the blonde passed on, like it would stop his life from edging away. In fact, he wasn't really even there any more. His mind was somewhere far off, trying to break free of the containments of his body's will. **"Fine, if you wanna do this the hard and painful way, so be it."**

He distantly felt the hand that was jabbing him in the chest spread out, the palms pressed urgently against his scratched skin. A new pressure was supplied around his neck, a courtesy of the Kyuubi.

And then suddenly a fierce fire traveled through his body. It seared through every nerve sending bolts of what felt like lightening all over his system. His body was use to this kind a chakra, more than most people, but this much was an overload. The body that was so ready to surrender to death vibrated with power. However, along with power came pain. A pain that beat anything Naruto ever felt in his life; his eyes shot open showing it to the entire world.

The air surrounding them was thick with the excess power. The wind cutting through it with chaotic intensity, caused by the boy's natural affinity for wind, added together with the demonic chakra.

Red was creeping its way into the sky blue color of his eyes, brimming the edges. They were wide with surprise, he could tell by how the demon was smirking at him. Kyuubi laughed, probably on how ridiculous his face was.

**"Now. Get up."** He was commanded. It was immediately followed. The once useless body of his had picked itself from the ground while most of the wounds cleaned and healed themselves, the only remembrance were the shred of his clothes and the maroon stain on his skin. The rods were still sticking out of his body at awkward angles but Naruto didn't seem to notice. All he was focused on was the fact that power seeped through every single one of his pores, feeling better than ever. After all that pain and wounds he'd went through it was like he'd went to heaven. Looking at his hands he watched the chakra dance across his fingers.

**"You're goddamn welcome." ** Kyuubi said, his voice snarky and conceited. He was currently examining his fingernails, paying no attention to the two major battles behind him. **"Lucky that I came to save you."**

Naruto lifted his gaze off from his hands, raising his brows. "I didn't thank you," The demon snorted, and the blonde stopped him before he could comment. "but I'm glad you're here." This took the fox by surprise, his mouth open for a nasty retort. He looked at the whiskered boy, his cynical eyes narrowed, wondering. He didn't move; his body locked to from the statement, unsure of what to do.

_Hm, this is new. _Naruto saw that their relationship, as well as communication, was beginning to improve.

Before anything could jeopardize the moment Naruto took it to himself to say, "Though you could've been a little bit faster." He shrugged, knowing it would help his words hit the mark more. It did.

**"I'd like to see you do better."** Kyuubi stated, back to his old self, who crossed his arms with a silent snarl on his lips.

"I probably would."

**"Fuckin' doubt it."**

"Like your thoughts even matter."

**"Of course they do."**

"No, they don't."

** "Liar."**

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Lets finish this and go home."

Kyuubi did a mock bow. **"As you wish." **

"Shudup." Naruto frowned, his attention drawn by one of the battles: Kiba's and Akamaru's. Just as he looked he heard the dog boy yell, **"****Jinjū Konbi Henge: Sōtōrō!" **before he was covered in a large cloud of smoke, obscuring him and his canine companion from view. When it cleared there was a gigantic two-headed dog in its place, taking a lot of space with its size. Drool was dripping down from its gums, slobs of saliva going onto the floor. It's wild eyes zoning in on its poor and unfortunate opponent, who looked on without emotion.

_Shit, it's huge._ Was the only thought that Naruto could process.

Without a second to loose the beast snapped at Human Path, its teeth making an audible sound as the Pein dodged. It continued to attack the Pein with its claws and two sets of teeth, the man in general barely missing death by mere inches.

**"Damn. That. Is. So. Badass."** Kyuubi said, his whole focus on the giant dog in front of them. The emotion in his eyes was something different from before; not envy or awe, but thoughtfulness. Naruto found himself face-to-face with Kyuubi, who had turned to him quite suddenly. **"Can we do that?" **The demon asked, continuing on without bothering to wait for a reply** "We need to try to do that."** There was some sort of plea in his voice, if that was even possible.

All Naruto did to answer him was give him a Not-In-This-Life stare, not bothering to verbally or mentally speak. The stare didn't seem to be enough to settle the Kyuubi's thoughts.

**"Lets try at least once. C'mon, I know you wanna see what would happen." **Naruto made no reply, not wanting to continue with the conversation. **"Fine, but this is not over." **Kyuubi stuck his tongue out at the blonde; not caring if he saw it or not. Just because he was the most powerful demon in existence didn't necessarily mean he wasn't limited to childish antics.

"We have to help them out then." Naruto said. Kyuubi just snorted, it was now becoming a common thing.

**"Fine. In fact, I see a target right in front of us." **It was Animal Path, who apparently hadn't been properly disposed of as the blonde thought. She was walking straight toward them, which meant that she had the thought to fight them.

Stupid.

Alone and weak, she had a chance to kill Naruto, but now the Kyuubi was here and ready to fight. She stood no chance against them.

**"I'm gonna say hi."** Kyuubi ran at her, meeting her straight on and the two collided with a bang, her rods against his claws, a medium wind producing from their clash. She managed to momentarily push him back and take a whack at him. He nimbly dodged, grabbed her shoulder, probably crushing it in the process, and threw her in Naruto's direction.

The blonde frowned, hating how the demon discarded his opponents. He kicked her swiftly, forcing her to loose her grip on her weapons. His blow inflicted more harm because of the speed she was coming at him with and his opposing force. Suddenly, Kyuubi was there next to him, grinning like the idiot he was. He slashed at her, multiple cuts on both her arms.

Animal Path didn't like to be a play toy, it seemed. Before they do more damage to her she punched at Kyuubi, evaded the blonde's own attack, and jumped back from the both of them. Once they were off her she raised her hands to make signs, a summoning.

In an instant, entering in a cloud of smoke, a giant centipede came at them. Like all the other summonings it had a rod on it, through its whole head. Overall it was forty feet long, more or less, with multiple pairs of spiny legs on each side of its body. It towered over them, pinchers coming in and out of its mouth. It roared, or whatever the sound that came from it was called, and charged at them.

Instead of going right at them it swerved and circled around, surrounding them with its long body. It's sickly red head arched back a little as the large legs tried to stab them. Once, twice, three times it slammed its head them, and three times they dodged to either side. Every time their surroundings shrunk, the centipede's coil tightening and growing smaller. Kyuubi would take a swing at its head, but only miss as it retreated hastily.

"HAI!" The centipede's head snapped to the side, some unknown force hitting it. It instantly collapsed to the ground like a pyramid of cards, uncoiling and flailing in the process.

**"Now hold up. Who's the asswhole who took my prey from me!"**

"That would be me!" A high voice yelled. The demon and its holder looked up to see a figure climbing down the giant centipede's head. She was wearing quite a load of red that strangely didn't clash with her bright pink hair. She was strapping in tight black gloves on her hands. The bright green eyes flashed as a movement behind them started acting up.

Twirling around her fist came crashing down on the centipede that dared get back up after battling with Sakura Haruno. The fist was definitely laced with chakra, more than anything Naruto could conjure up. The monstrous creature settled back down of the ground before disappearing in a large puff of smoke.

With a flip of her short hair she regarded Naruto with a grin. Naruto looked at his old teammate, unsure what to say. After a few seconds he raised his hand in a greeting with a hesitant smile. "Hey there, Sakura-chan."

It was greeted back with a punch to his face. The only thing that stopped him from flying over the entire battlefield was the Kyuubi grabbing hold of him. Even with the digging of his heels in the ground they were pushed a few meters back, a line of their descent in the hard dirt.

Obviously he had some words to say about this particular greeting.

"Oi! What the hell was that for?" Let it be known Naruto did grow up so much that he was beyond yelling. Old habits died hard.

"_That_ was for leavin' without any explanation!" She yelled right back, shaking her fist at him. "And I've got another one for you for not lettin' us know that you were still alive!"

Naruto sweat dropped, scared to go near the woman. His nose pained him, making him almost sure that it was probably red as a ripe tomato, it not completely broken. _She's even more violent than I remembered._ He thought, watching her glare daggers at him.

He heard a chuckle, not even realizing that he'd involuntarily connected with Kyuubi. **You have no idea Kit. I can't wait to see your face when everyone else comes. It's gonna be **_**classic**_**.**

Naruto quickly turned his head to the side as far as it was possible, his expression questioning and demanding. "Who do mean, 'everyone'?"

Kyuubi chuckled again, a grin settled on his face, which looked like his own. "**Everyone."**

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed across the distance between them, her voice warning. Both he and Kyuubi looked to see another giant animal come his way. It was a crab; well, he thought it was.

Animal Path…Again.

A jet of water came from its mouth, or some sort of opening. He wasn't entirely sure. He wasn't even sure if what he was looking at was the front end. This didn't bring comforting thoughts about the liquid, which he swore looked yellow-ish.

**"****Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu" **Fire fanned over the crab/thing, stopping its attack in a cloud of steam. Burns spread throughout the right side of its body were the ball of fire ran into it.

"Nice job, _dobe_. Only you would get in this kind of predicament." A mellow, calm voice said, coming from a young man with dark hair. It was black, like the color of his eyes, the back of it similar to that of a chicken's buttocks. He was wearing casual dark pants, which was being hold in position by a thin, purple rope tied in the front. Covering his torso was a dark long sleeved shirt with a white collar poking out of the neck hole. The Uchiha crest was embedded into the front of his shirt; projecting to the world what clan he was from. A sword was strapped across his back, the blade sheathed.

By instinct, even after the years that past by, Naruto narrowed his eyes and made a face. "Shut your mouth, _teme_. I don't need that coming from you."

He received a snort for that comment, something he'd been getting more often nowadays.

"Can we just get some background on what's been going on?"

**"Allow me." **Kyuubi said, butting in and irratating Naruto at the same time. He knew it wasn't going to be a nice little summary.** "Kit here has had his ass kicked many times today and now he's finally being a man about it and fighting back, crappily I might add. The good news is that one of the Peins is out for the count-Asura something, right Meatbag?"**

"Yeah, he's out, and Kiba and Lee are fighting Human and Preta Path and- Wait. How did you know which one I took down?" Naruto asked accusingly at Kyuubi, eyes narrowed, arms crossed.

** "Anyway, the mutt and Mr. Spandex are taking care of two of them and by my observations they're holding their own pretty damn well. The only one that needs to be dealt with would be Animal Path. Be careful though,"** Kyuubi eyed the said person, who was now just standing there, looking incredibly like an innocent little girl. **"she's **_**dangerous**_**."**

"We'll take care of her." Sakura stated, glaring at Naruto, daring him to object. He didn't, and for once neither did Kyuubi. She then settled her hands on her hips, turning to her raven-haired teammate. "You think you can handle that Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke didn't answer. Instead, he just turned and walked away to where Animal Path was, already unsheathing his sword.

The pink haired women sighed loudly, "Men." She shifted her weight to one leg as she stared after the emotionally deprived Uchiha.

**"Yeah, sometimes they can be such wusses."** The Kyuubi said with an over exaggerated sigh of his own. He mimicked the kunoichi right down to the hands on hips. He even jutted out a leg with emphasis. However, instead of looking in the direction of the emotionally deprived Uchiha he fixed his gaze on Naruto.

"Wipe that look on your face and let's go." Naruto said, irritation plain on his face.

**"And where exactly are we going?"**

"We need to find the main Pein and take him out." Kyuubi grinned, looking like a complete idiot to the blonde. He abandoned his tomfoolery and cracked his knuckles with menace.

**"Alrighty then. Lets head off."** The demon said and headed off in a random direction, his stride full of purpose. **"C'mon Meatbag, I wanna hurry so that no one gets to the little bugger before we do."**

It took Naruto all of his willpower not to roll his eyes, and that was a lot. He looked at Sakura with raised eyebrows, motioning at the demon. "I'd like to present the very own Kyuubi no Kitsune. Ain't he peachy?" The blonde had the delight of seeing a smile form on Sakura's lips, fighting back a giggle.

"Naruto…" And before he knew he was enveloped in a hug, her arms linked around his neck. He jerked back in surprise, but Sakura kept holding onto him, immobilizing him for the time being. " You don't know how much we missed you." Her voice was slightly muffed, due to the fact that she was pressed against his shoulder. "I-We're glad your back."

After a moment Naruto gently hugged her back, his arms barely pressing against her, expecting her to disappear any second. " G-Good to be back." They stood like that for a few more seconds.

Sakura pulled back first. "Don't you have someone to fight right now?" She asked with a smile.

Grinning, Naruto stepped back. " Don't you? In fact, I think you're supposed to be helping a certain teme." He said, nodding toward the Uchiha, who was now clashing with Animal Path. He blocked all her moves with ease, sparks somehow flying as their weapons met."

"_Huh, he's pretty good. Who would've thought?"_

"He practiced a lot ever since you left." Sakura said, telling him that he spoke aloud as well as in his mind. "He defeated two of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist."

"Now why would he be fighting them in the first place?" Naruto asked as he jogged away. He wasn't sure but he swore than he heard her whisper something, but quickly pushed it aside.

_"… He was looking for you…"_

…

His black hair whipped around his as the giant green bird flew around him. Its disgusting tongue lolling out as it cawed and croaked at him. Its beak was sharp. That was a fact, so saying the thin line of red that rested on his cheek. It was fast. That was another fact.

But who said it was faster than an Uchiha?

No one. That's who.

The sword that was balanced in his hand was poised to strike; waiting for the moment its handler would have use for it.

The bird summon, if you could call it a bird at all, dived at him at random intervals. Every time it thought Sasuke would moved or chose that moment to attack it would swiftly change directions, resulting in it being back above him.

The thing got cocky as time passed with him just standing there; it would duck down for longer periods of time. That was when Sasuke striked.

His sword flashed, singing in the air as it moved, and cut at the wing of the bird summon. The winged creature cried out in surprise and pain as it veered to the side. The thing was bleeding with its blood dripping down from it height onto the floor around Sasuke. Its blood was a gooey red with a tinge of green.

Sasuke willed himself not to show any disgust over the sight of it. Instead he lifted his sword up once more, ready for attack. However, it never did get the chance.

"Bird Brains!" The yell echoed all as a small figure threw itself- more accurately, herself- at the bird summon. Her fist was brought to connect to its beak with a hard uppercut. Her body twisted mid-jump as she brought her foot down on the unlucky creature, snapping its head back down. The Uchiha stopped the wince that wanted to come out as he heard the heavy _thwack _of the kick.

It was betrayed by gravity, which caused it to go down to earth within seconds. The wing clipped Sakura as it went down, knocking her off balance in the air. With a yelp she twisted and flailed in the air heading straight down the path the bird had gone.

Sasuke, raising his dark eyes skyward, stepped back three paces and then four to the right. Quickly he put away his sword and held out his hands with casualness, catching the falling girl easily, be siding the fact that she had fallen from some feet above. His eyebrow rose all by itself as he observed that her eyes were squeezed shut, apparently shut from fright. They slowly opened to reveal the green orbs that she called her eyes, widening with the realization that she caught her.

He saw that she was about to say something concerning that fact, her cheek reddening, but stopped. Her gaze slid to her shoulder and her entire face scrunched up. Her tongue coming out with her 'icky' face, he'd seen it many times over the years. He looked and couldn't stop the disgusted frown that made its way on his face. There on her shoulder was some of the blood that had plopped out of the summon. It looked more green than red, more of boogers than blood

"That's disgusting." She said. "Put me down. She is so not getting away with this. This shirt was a gift from Tsunade-sama."

He put her down, not liking the steely glint in her eyes. With a flick of her gloved hand the goop was off her shoulder and on the ground. She walked toward the young looking Path with hands held in fists. He followed her at a slowly pace, sword out again and this time planning to run it through something.

0000000000000000000000000

Blood dripped down his lip as it caught to one of the finer points on his teeth. He didn't mind it. It probably made him look even more vicious that usual. That was a perk all by itself.

He was currently leaping from one place to another, all around the head Pain, who hadn't move from his spot, only twisting his body out of harms way. The man didn't do anything but avoid the incoming attacks, not bothering to get serious. It didn't really matter seeing how the demon just fooling around. He was stalling until Kit came to their location. He was having one of those things people call "happy reunions" with his teammates. Pathetic.

Kyuubi spat out a mixture of blood and spit.

**"You done with your stupid little get-together?"** He asked, sliding into a better attacking position. There was no way that he was going to get caught off guard.

"Yep, " Naruto stated, walking forward with his eyes glues to the Pein. "all finished."

**"Good."** Kyuubi stared evenly at the orange-haired man, a fire surely in his eyes. Mentally he added to the Kit, **Now time to kick some ass. **He grinned cheekily as he received a stare in return. The demon full on lunged at the Pein…

"**Shinra Tensei: Seiatsu."**

And was immediately stopped in mid-jump and flung backwards.

Kyuubi let out a curse, one that would surely make mothers cover their children's ears. Spinning in a backwards summersault through the air, he landed on all fours a small distance away.

"Foolish demon, don't be so quick to attack someone whom will defeat you." The Pein said, his voice monotone

_Did I forget to mention that he could do that? _Kyuubi heard Kit say in his mind. He swore he could hear the boy snicker. _I thought, you know, with you going through my mind that you'd already know._

The demon snarled. **I only tuned in for a little bit!** He rebuffed hotly, shaking his head from the attack.

_His attacks are sorta like how magnets react, either with a pull or push from each other. There, you're informed. I haven't had the time to find out its weak point._ Naruto quickly told him, not even bothering to ask if the fox was okay. How mean of him.

Kyuubi made a semicircle around the Pein. He was looking from some opening or weakness that he could break through, but found none. Not only was the Pein unemotional, but he was well guarded.

Catching the Kit's eye, Kyuubi slunk forward once more. This time cautiously and slowly. As he did this the blonde swung a punch at the Pein, his fist aimed for his head.

"**Shinra Tensei: Seiatsu." **Before he had any say to it, Naruto was blown back, his feet off the ground. In a flash the Pein was on him, from his still posture to a moving whirlwind. Pulling out a black rod from his sleeve he slashed at the blonde

Kyuubi caught the rod in mid arch, appearing between them just as fast as the Pein was. Without hesitation he cut at the man's throat, his full intention to make him bleed to death.

It was too bad that the Pein leaned back at the last minute. Kyuubi snapped his foot up onto the man's chest and kicked him away, ripping the rod out of his hand.

As the Pein staggered back, the demon snapped the rod in half, breaking it in two.

**"I hate playing fetch."**

_Well, that obviously didn't work. _He snarled at the comment, which stated the absolute obvious. _You wanna try it again?_

**Faster!** He snapped, throwing himself at the Pein. This time he feinted to the right and then slammed straight into the man. Again, a rod was pulled out and was aimed at his torso. Kyuubi jerked back, punched at the man, and continued to direct a series of slashes.

When the Pein retreated back Naruto was there, grasping the man's shoulder and threw him. It didn't do much good seeing how the man executed a simple twist and slid to a graceful stop. He held his hand out.

"**Bansho Ten'in."** With invisible yank Kit was pulled forward with a surprised yell, seemingly without any deciding on his part.

Kyuubi, in a blurring motion, came right next to the Pein. **"You shouldn't just focus on one of us."** Taking a quick, deep breath he roared. The Pein flew back, his attack stopped short.

For good measures the demon concentrated his chakra to his hand and pounded it down toward the Earth. Like it always did, the ground erupted up, all the way to the Pein, who was shot back farther. It was exactly the fox wanted, him a distance away so that they could gather their wits.

Kyuubi's arm snapped out, grabbing the back of Kit's neck as he came rushing by, the force of the roar affecting him too. "GYAH!"

**"Woops."**

When the demon let go of the Naruto's neck, which was turning a little red from his light grip, he set himself defensively in front of the boy. It seemed that the Pein was only concerned for the blonde, not really caring that he was fighting a tailed demon. That itself slightly pissed him off, plus the fact that he didn't show any fear. Now _that_ was insulting. All in all, the man was prepared with fighting them. That did not spell good for them, especially for Kit.** Keep him occupied.**

Naruto nodded and formed a familiar hand sign. **"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"** With multiple sounding _pops_ there was soon more Naruto's than anyone could count. Naruto, of course being the nerd he was, counted and relayed the information to Kyuubi. There were about fifty of him, much to the demon's annoyance. Many mischievous smiles were shared; multiple yells of happiness at being created, and high fives were passed around. It would send anyone's brain to malfunction, but not Kyuubi's.

Then, as if rehearsed, all the Naruto's attacked from every direction. They came at the Pein like a swarm. A hyper, loudmouthed, bright-flashed swarm.

The Pein in general acted like a robot, his attacks automatic looking. The moment the clones were on him he was set in defense-mode.

The clones went down, one by one. It was kind of funny to see that he grabbed one with his hand and shoved it back to another, all the while holding the others back with other hand. Kyuubi had to keep back a snigger, enjoying the scene of the blonde getting his ass kicked numerous times. Even as he watched a clone went down with was sounded like a _crack_. The demon didn't worry, it was probably just a rib or two cracking and puncturing the heart before it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

_You notice it?_ Kit asked, his face paled. Most likely it was from the memories he was getting from the clones before they disappeared, their pain, their agony, all that sweetness.

**Notice what?**

_The fact that he hasn't used his two major attacks, whatever they're called._

Although Kyuubi was looking at the fight he wasn't actually studying it. At first glance all he saw was violence and- well, he never got any farther. If he looked more intently he could see that what the blonde said was true. Instead of just forcing all the clones by pushing them away, he drove them off physically.

**Well-** Before he even got to finish his sentence both of them heard teh Pein's voice, "**Shinra Tensei: Seiatsu." **With yells all the remaining clones were pushed back, some sailing at least thirty feet. The moment they crashed into something they disappeared.

"Now it truly begins." The Pein spoke, for some strange reason thinking now was a good time to kick it up a notch.

Kyuubi brought his hands up. **"Oh, now you wanna fight? That's some real bull, you know that?"**

He was about to pounce again, this time using pure chakra as a shield and teach the bastard who was the superior one, when he noticed Naruto holding a medium sized scroll in his hand. He froze, one hand posed of the ground. **What the hell is that?**

_It's a scroll, obviously. _He bit the edge of his thumb and put pressure to it, causing a trickle of blood to come out. In one fluid motion he wiped the liquid of life across the blank paper of the scroll. _I'm going to summon Gamabunta._

**Ew. The tadpole?**

_Toad. _

He was about two hand seals in when a sudden burst of smoke erupted from the scroll. Lightening was crackling inside the smoke that was creeping to the round like fog. The blonde yelped in shock and surprise. Kyuubi's eyes narrowed with suspicion as he looked on.

When the smoke cleared up two people were left in its wake.

One had a flash of purple hair, spiking out everywhere. A mess of bangs flowed across her forehead, making her eyes seem darker than they really were. Her mouth was set into an angry frown, but the smile lines suggest what it did on better days. Her hands were set in angry fists, one in a shaking fist and the other currently clutching the collar of a certain man.

He had gravity defying silver hair that popped out freely. He wore two masks. The first covering the lower half of his face, and the other the entire right side of his face, distinctively an ANBU mask with a dog design engraved into it. However, neither was able to hide the expression of terror along with his black eyes.

Both wore white outfits that marked them as ANBU no matter what time they were in. They froze when they noticed that they were no longer in their original setting, instead magically arriving in a completely new location.

…

The silence was deafening.

"**That is so not a tadpole."**

…

_~Double Headed Dog: __Jinjū Konbi Henge: Sōtōrō_

_~Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique: Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu_

_~Shinra Tensei: Seiatsu = Heavenly Subjugation of the Omnipresent God (Almighty Push)_

_~Bansho Ten'in = Heavenly Attraction of All of Creation (Universal Pull)_

_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu = Shadow Clone Technique_

…

**Author Notes:**

** Sorry for the delay in updating. It's just, as we've mentioned on our profile, that the flash drive that held all our stories is currently missing and now assumed dead. And being the losers we are we don't have a backup. **

**Hope you guys enjoyed this.**


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